The Forgiven ★★★★
RALPH Fiennes and Jessica Chastain make an electric pairing in the deceptively complex drama The Forgiven.
As husband and wife David and Jo Henninger they trade barbs at each other and the world in general, battling to prove who is the most cynical and acerbic.
They are privileged people whose relationship has obviously been impacted by infidelity at one point, although this is never openly discussed.
The pair don’t just reserve their judgements for those they consider to be beneath their class. They also appear to barely tolerate most of the people they do socialise with, possibly in the belief they are reflective of their own empty and vacuous lives.
Among their acquaintances are gay couple Richard Galloway and Dally Margolis, beautifully played by Matt Smith and Caleb Landry Jones respectively, who are hosting a decadent weekend at their opulent summer residence in the desert outside Morocco.
On their late-night drive to the party David and Jo are arguing as always and strike a young Moroccan boy on the road.
They take his body to the villa where Richard takes charge in an effort to cause the minimum amount of fuss for the authorities, the Henningers and, of course, their other party guests.
But the father of the dead boy arrives to claim his body and restitution from David, leading to growing conflict and tensions at both individual, cultural and class levels.
Based on a 2012 novel by Lawrence Osborne, the film is written and directed by Englishman John Michael McDonagh who has already delivered two exceptional efforts in The Guard (2011) and Calvary (2014).
McDonagh continues on the same upward career trajectory here with script, acting and photography combining to completely immerse the audience in the clash of two distinct worlds – an ancient, proud and defiant culture up against a supplanted and privileged one that is populated by equally defiant individuals.
Christopher Abbott has a strong supporting role along with a trio of Moroccan actors – Ismael Kanater as the boy’s father, Saïd Taghmaoui and Mourad Zaoui – creating a strong sense of authenticity to the narrative and many specific scenes.
The Forgiven is the kind of strong, adult drama that we should see more of.