# Exhibiting Forgiveness

Exhibiting Forgiveness is a 2024 American independent drama film written and directed by Titus Kaphar. The film stars André Holland, Andra Day, John Earl Jelks and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024 and was released in the United States on October 18, 2024.

## Cast

* André Holland as Tarrell
* Andra Day as Aisha
* Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Joyce
* John Earl Jelks as La'Ron
* Ian Foreman as Young Tarrell
* Daniel Michael Barriere as Jermaine
* Matthew Elam as Quentin
* Jaime Ray Newman as Janine

## Release

The film premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024. In April 2024, Roadside Attractions acquired distribution rights to the film, planning to release it theatrically sometime in fall the same year. The film began a limited theatrical run in the United States on October 18, 2024.

## Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 74 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "André Holland lays himself bare in a characteristically wonderful performance in this vivid portrait of a family coming to terms with the past." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 82 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
The Guardian critic Benjamin Lee described the film as an "emotionally wrenching drama set to resonate with those who have also had to confront the complicated equation of radical forgiveness". Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, "Exhibiting Forgiveness sends you out on a note of hope, but it’s not exactly a feel-good movie. It’s a feel-the-reality movie, a drama willing to scald. That’s its quiet power".

## Accolades

| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| African-American Film Critics Association Awards | 19 February 2025 | Top 10 Films of the Year | Exhibiting Forgiveness | 9th Place |
| African-American Film Critics Association Awards | 19 February 2025 | Best Original Song | "Bricks" Andra Day and Jherek Bischoff | Won |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding Film | Exhibiting Forgiveness | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding Director | Titus Kaphar | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding Screenplay | Titus Kaphar | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding First Screenplay | Titus Kaphar | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding Emerging Director | Titus Kaphar | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding Lead Performance | André Holland | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding Supporting Performance | Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding Ensemble | Kim Coleman | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards | 10 February 2025 | Outstanding Original Song | "Bricks" Andra Day and Jherek Bischoff | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 22 February 2025 | Outstanding Independent Motion Picture | Exhibiting Forgiveness | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 22 February 2025 | Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture) | Titus Kaphar | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 22 February 2025 | Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture | Titus Kaphar | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 22 February 2025 | Outstanding Cinematography in a Feature Film | Lachlan Milne | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 22 February 2025 | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor | Nominated |
| NAACP Image Awards | 22 February 2025 | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | André Holland | Nominated |
| Sundance Film Festival | 18 January 2024 | Grand Jury Prize - U.S. Dramatic Competition | Exhibiting Forgiveness | Nominated |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | 8 December 2024 | Best Youth Performance | Ian Foreman | Nominated |