Comments on: Movies with "forgiveness" as theme?

Question: Movies with "forgiveness" as theme?

beautiful — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:01:28 -0800

I'm having trouble thinking of any narrative movies with "forgiveness" as a theme...anyone?

By: roomthreeseventeen

roomthreeseventeen — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:05:26 -0800

I don't know what you mean by a narrative movie, but what about Ordinary People?

By: Ness

Ness — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:08:15 -0800

The Fisher King
Magnolia
Secrets and Lies

By: Pecinpah

Pecinpah — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:08:39 -0800

'Finnegan, Begin Again'?

Sorta.

By: junkbox

junkbox — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:11:43 -0800

Big Fish

By: Dee Xtrovert

Dee Xtrovert — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:14:55 -0800

One of the greatest films ever is a story of forgiveness - David Lynch's "The Straight Story."

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:25:22 -0800

Marvin's room, with stunning performances by Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Leonardo DiCap before he got all growed up and gnarly.

By: hwickline

hwickline — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:41:10 -0800

Maybe "The Royal Tenanbaums"?

By: jonesor

jonesor — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:53:05 -0800

21 Grams perhaps?

By: ourobouros

ourobouros — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 07:59:08 -0800

Clean is great and is very much about forgiveness.

By: john m

john m — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:00:26 -0800

Unforgiven

By: ourobouros

ourobouros — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:03:44 -0800

Also -- Kieślowski's films often deal with forgiveness. You should probably check out White and The Decalogue.

By: plinth

plinth — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:06:01 -0800

Much Ado About Nothing

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:06:44 -0800

Le Fils (The Son) by the Dardenne brothers. Absolutely outstanding film.

By: winston

winston — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:08:54 -0800

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:11:19 -0800

Spiderman 3

By: ND¢

ND¢ — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:33:21 -0800

Monster's Ball.

By: strangeleftydoublethink

strangeleftydoublethink — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:40:18 -0800

Unbreakable

By: ROTFL

ROTFL — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:04:38 -0800

IMO, forgiveness is one of the primary themes of Casablanca.

By: forallmankind

forallmankind — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:12:36 -0800

Garden State has a degree of forgiveness.

By: Tuwa

Tuwa — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:15:22 -0800

Bad Lieutenant. Not generally considered an easy watch, and probably not the Abel Ferrara to start with, but it fits the theme.

Also, both versions of Solaris, if you're also interested in self-forgiveness.

By: erikgrande

erikgrande — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:23:14 -0800

Maybe "The Royal Tenanbaums"?

My first thought was Rushmore. Pretty much everybody ends up forgiving Max for his antics at one time or another.

By: bdk3clash

bdk3clash — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:24:50 -0800

Dead Man Walking

By: beautiful

beautiful — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:33:53 -0800

Hi there,

Thank you everyone for the suggestions so far, but I should have specified in my original post that I'm interested in seeing a personal path to forgiveness, not a movie showing the actions taken after forgiveness or obliquely about forgiveness.

Basically, I'd like to forgive someone, and I'm looking for a way. And this was my horoscope of the week:

"Many of us don't always know what we feel. At times we may have a vivid sense that we feel something, but we're not sure what it is. That's why musicians, writers, actors, and other creative people play such a crucial role in our emotional lives. Their work can help us articulate the mysteries unfolding within us. But here's the problem: There are some artists out there who aren't very smart or original; they express only the most hackneyed and superficial feelings. If we look to them for illumination, we're cheated. So your next assignment, Leo, is to home in on the enigmas that are swirling within you by seeking the guidance and inspiration of only the very best artists: those who have cultivated a high level of proficiency in their heroic struggle to find meaning in the fascinating chaos that surrounds us." from Rob Breszny

So I'm looking for movies to show me the way...

By: languagehat

languagehat — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:53:23 -0800

Sunrise.

By: sharkfu

sharkfu — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:59:25 -0800

Fearless

By: Lentrohamsanin

Lentrohamsanin — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:17:49 -0800

The last third of Bliss (1985), teaches the important lesson that forgiveness must be earned by the offending party, not simply granted by the offended, but when it has been earned it should be granted. Is that the sort of thing you're looking for?

By: chunking express

chunking express — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:43:32 -0800

In America

By: Dee Xtrovert

Dee Xtrovert — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:47:53 -0800

After reading your second post, I must repeat my recommendation of "The Straight Story."

By: kidsleepy

kidsleepy — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 12:40:39 -0800

Maybe "The Royal Tenanbaums"?

My first thought was Rushmore. Pretty much everybody ends up forgiving Max for his antics at one time or another.

My first thought was The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. I guess Wes Anderson also has forgiveness issues.

By: cardboard

cardboard — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:28:50 -0800

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.

By: clh

clh — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 13:44:53 -0800

The Passion of the Christ. Or, just read the book. Lots about forgiveness there.

By: wafaa

wafaa — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:18:13 -0800

Ordinary People.

By: amyms

amyms — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:32:20 -0800

If you're looking for inspiration for forgiving a manipulative mother and/or a cheating spouse, Terms Of Endearment is a good movie.

Also, As Good As It Gets deals with forgiving obnoxious neighbors, imperfect boyfriends, and parents.

By: grumblebee

grumblebee — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:57:20 -0800

The best story I know about forgiveness -- and there have been movie versions but I don't know if there have been good ones -- is Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale." But it's not about easy forgiveness. The person who needs to be forgiven sinks to total despair before he's ready to turn his act around. And depending on how you interpret the ending of the play (I don't believe it's supernatural), the forgiver takes years and years to be able to forgive.

The recent film, "Knocked Up" is a lighter take on it, though still realistic and moving.

By: crossoverman

crossoverman — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:48:55 -0800

The Passion of the Christ. Or, just read the book. Lots about forgiveness there.

I remember that being a complete downer. Another example of Hollywood ruining the original material.

By: nanojath

nanojath — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:39:28 -0800

Although I thought it was somewhat uneven, Sean Penn's The Crossing Guard is a pretty complex take on the theme you're looking at.

Here's a big list I found online. It's from a religiously themed site but the list seems pretty egalitarian.

By: cior

cior — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:31:29 -0800

On Golden Pond. The English Patient.

By: nakedcodemonkey

nakedcodemonkey — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 20:44:12 -0800

Bounce
You Can Count On Me
The Joy Luck Club

If you're interested in self-forgiveness, add
Everything Is Illuminated

By: aeschenkarnos

aeschenkarnos — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 02:43:22 -0800

In Her Shoes was really good.