(above)
André Holland as Tarrell and John Earl Jelks as his father La’Ron in
“Exhibiting Forgiveness.” (below) Holland with Andra Day as Tarrell’s
wife Aisha.
Forgiveness can be complex. In some traditions, like the African American church, there is a belief that forgiving someone who harmed you is more for your benefit than theirs. Other traditions, like Judaism, posit forgiveness only comes after someone who harmed you verbally acknowledges the pain they caused. Meditations on forgiveness, harm and repair in father-son relationships are explored in artist Titus Kaphar’s directorial debut, “Exhibiting Forgiveness.”
The film is a thinly veiled fiction based on the estranged relationship between Kaphar and his father Jerome. In the film, Kaphar’s character is Tarrell (played by André Holland), an artist, husband and father who works out the trauma of his childhood on canvas. In the movie, the Jerome character is La’Ron (John Earl Jelks), who is seeking forgiveness and reconciliation after recovering from crack addiction. La’Ron has not seen or contacted his son in 15 years. Joyce (Aunjanue
Ellis-Taylor) is Tarrell’s faithful and forgiving mother, and Aisha
(Andra Day) is Tarrell’s beautiful and grounded wife.
Kaphar’s
direction of this film creates a thought-provoking introspective
reflection on forgiveness. The tug-of-war between enabling and forgiving
is explored, as well as the effects of generational trauma from father
to son. Kaphar comes from a lineage of ministers, and this religious
influence is splattered throughout the story as characters
discuss the Black church’s beliefs on reconciliation. For some,
forgiveness is a source of comfort and faith. For others, it proves
particularly harmful, especially when it comes to mending relationships
that were damaged from the crack epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s. These
ambivalent and oppositional thoughts are worked through on film and on
canvas. Like anything with nuance and complexity, there are no
definitive answers.
The
story unfolds like a painting would. The underpainting lays the
groundwork for the familial relationships: La’Ron’s decades-long cycle
of addiction and abuse in between moments of trying to do the right
thing through hard work. The first light layer
of paint is represented by Tarrell’s strong maternal bond with Joyce
and his thriving nuclear family, which includes Aisha and their young
son. The shadows of the painting are marked by Tarrell’s memories of his
childhood trauma that still cause night terrors well into adulthood.
The final layer is the confrontation and conversation between father and
son, all laid out on tape and eventually on canvas.
The
film features 15 original artworks by Kaphar, including a portrait of
his onscreen father La’Ron. The portrait is inspired by Kaphar’s series
“The Jerome Project,” which began after Kaphar reunited with his father.
He found his father’s mugshot, which was taken during their
estrangement.
“The Jerome Project” laid
the groundwork for “Exhibiting Forgiveness.” It consisted of paintings
of mugshots of dozens of men who shared the same first and last names as
his father. Portraits of incarcerated Black men are painted on a
gold-leaf background in a style similar to Byzantine icon portraiture
(think gilded icons of saints). These images are then partially covered
in layers of thick tar representing how the stickiness and damage of the
past never quite leaves when family members are isolated and
incarcerated.
In
Kaphar’s 2020 TED Talk, he said this about using art to have difficult
conversations: “The things that must be said are not always lovely, but
somehow if they’re reflective of truth, fundamentally that makes them
beautiful.”
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” is now playing locally at AMC Boston Common 19 and AMC South Bay Center 12.
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