All Critics (51)
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Top Critics (21)
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Fresh (44)
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Rotten (7)
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DVD (1)
We don't see any blood, or much forgiveness either, but we do witness something far more resonant - a young generation caught between the rock of tradition and the hard place of modernity.
A heartbreaking Albanian film that counts the toll a family feud takes on all involved.
The leads -- both non-actors -- hit sharp, natural notes.
Tradition can be dangerous as well as dumb. "The Forgiveness of Blood" is about a modern kid in an old-world society. It's a terrible fit.
It's a thriller that feels like a documentary.
Marston artfully uses handheld cameras and natural light and has a nice eye for compositions.
Without resorting to didactic exposition, Marston manages to teach us a great deal about Albanian law and custom, and to make this utterly foreign culture explicable to popcorn-munching American moviegoers.
Joshua Marston's follow-up to his stunning Maria Full of Grace debut gets high marks for nice performances and immersion into a remote Albanian village, but narrative deficiencies render it a disappointment.
...honors the virtues of small-town life as well as the beauty of the Albanian countryside, without being blind to the potentially tragic outcomes of adherence to a rigid code of honor.
A memorable portrait of a society and the demands it makes on those caught up in it.
Director Joshua Marston's sophomore effort shows an intelligence and affinity for an alien landscape, and for decent people pushed into extraordinary circumstances by poverty and traditions beyond their understanding.
Keen insights into an ancient society do not give this film the boost it needs to make an impact.
It never exactly lights you on fire, but you always believe it.
American filmmaker Joshua Marston... present[s] characters and cultures alien to his audiences' eyes in ways that render them instantly and easily recognizable and sympathetic...
You leave the movie feeling like it has helped you understand a complex situation from many different, conflicting points of view.
Joshua Marston once again demonstrates his affinity for stories of poor people under stress in unglamorous locales.
I know the movie sounds like a downer, but I can't emphasize enough how non-preachy it is, and what good drama it is. It effortlessly coaxes us into the story with the ease of an afternoon soap opera.
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