Repentance

Plot synopsis:
Repentance is set in a small Georgian town. The film starts with the scene of a woman preparing cakes. A man in a chair is reading from a newspaper that the town's mayor, Varlam Aravidze (Avtandil Makharadze) has died. One day after the funeral the corpse of the mayor turns up in the garden of his son's house. The corpse is reburied, only to reappear again in the garden. A woman, Ketevan Barateli (Zeinab Botsvadze), is eventually arrested and accused of digging up the corpse. She defends herself and states that Varlam does not deserve to be buried as he was responsible for a Stalin-like regime of terror responsible for the disappearance of her parents and her friends. She is put on trial and gives her testimony, with the story of Varlam's regime being told in flashbacks.
During the trial, Varlam's son Abel (Avtandil Makharadze) denies any wrongdoings by his father and his lawyer tries to get Ketevan declared insane. Varlam's grandson Tornike (Merab Ninidze) is shocked by the revelations about the crimes of his grandfather. He ultimately commits suicide. Abel himself then throws Varlam's corpse off a cliff on the outskirts of the town.
At the end the film returns to the scene of the woman preparing a cake. An old woman is asking her at the window whether this is the road that leads to the church. The woman replies that the road is Varlam street and will not lead to the temple. The old woman replies: "What good is a road if it doesn't lead to a church?"

Tags: horror, murder

Review:
This movie has gotten a lot of bad reviews and i have no idea why.
People say Mike Epps is just a comedian but he was really good in this role.
This movie actually had me confused and shocked at some point but i don't regret watching this at all.
This is more for the figure it out, use your brain kind of audience.The cast bring it in terms of acting, my congratulations to the people who thought this would be great for an all black cast.
I played the Seer so I won't comment on my brilliant work :), I read the guidelines and it doesn't say I can't review a film I'm in, since many actors don't like films they're in, this one, is definitely worth a shot especially if you like the actors in it, (I personally can never take my eyes off of Forest Whitaker) and that genre, you will be happy you saw it..
I could not  believe that Forrest Whittaker would involve himself in this horribly  directed and produced film.
The movie was confusing, the main actor was crazy  and holding on to the memory of his dead mother.
The acting in this movie was good enough.
Solid although not usually exceptional acting from the cast carries this movie well enough, while the performance by Forest Whitaker is quite strong (but I tend to expect that from him).
I don't rate it highly, but I do give it a true medium rating and would recommend it to anyone who just wants a movie to watch that will not leave them cold..
Review: I had high expectations from this film because it had some decent actors in it, but the storyline is sketchy and the pace of the film made it quite boring.
If you use your head, the film is predictable from beginning to end although it's supposed to be a suspense thriller.
It also seemed a bit over acted and the director chose to jump right at the deep end which didn't give the characters that much depth.
The concept, which is about a man who has psychological issues after the death of his mum and he decides to get help from a psychologist, doesn't seem to go anywhere for the first half of the movie and then it gets extremely dark out of the blue.
Personally, I thought that the movie seemed a bit cheap and not very well thought through.
Disappointed!Round-Up: Forest Whitaker is not an actor that has chose the easiest path in his career.
I would have thought that he has earned the right to pick and choose what roles to take, so it might just be down to bad choices why he has starred in so many dodgy movies lately.
From big movies like the Butler and The Last King Of Scotland to the dodgy Pawn, Crossfire and the Truth, he has really had a rollacoaster of a career.
Anthony Mackies career has picked up lately with roles in the new Captain America, Pain and Gain and the new Avengers movie, so I doubt that this film will harm his portfolio.
In all, this film must have looked good on paper but it just wasn't put together well by the director.
Budget: $5million Worldwide Gross: $1millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their suspense/drama/thrillers about a man whose suffering with psychological problems after the death of his mother and seeks for help from a successful book writer.
If I can just prevent one helpless soul from spending precious moments of their life seeing this movie out it's worth writing this review.
Please God do not try to watch it all the way through, you will feel only rage.Seriously, I am legitimately angry at the producers of this movie for allowing it to be released.
His character in the Last King of Scotland was astonishing and the Oscar he received for the role was truly earned.I guess it doesn't take long for Hollywood to forget how talented an actor is, and Whitaker wasn't offered anymore challenging roles.
I guess, for financial reasons, he took whatever roles were offered.To say this movie was completely awful and was poorly written is an understatement.
Forest Whitaker was amazing as expected but the rest of the cast was mediocre.
Tommy Carter played an intellectual therapist/life coach which made for some border line soap opera acting scenes.
Mike Epps acting was fine but again wrong guy for that role; he's a comedian not a tough guy ex-con.
Many reviewers mentioned this is a tricky, twisting, confusing movie...I have no clue what they watched.
In fact, the more realistic a movie is, the less likelihood of a pleasant ending.
A movie with shades of Misery that dragged just enough to make it hard to stay completely involved in..
"Seems like you were in need so I figured I'd reach out to you." Tommy Carter (Mackie) is an author and spiritual adviser who wrote a book about his near death experience and tries to help others deal with what they have gone through.
When his brother gets into trouble Tommy thinks the best way to help is is to do one more one-on-one session.
He offers to help Angel (Whitaker), a husband and father who lost his mother but still sees her.
When Tommy tells him he can't help him anymore Angel doesn't like that answer.
This is a movie that I had no idea what to expect out of it.
The acting is great from these two and the movie stays pretty tense the entire time but it was also a little draggy in some parts and I found it hard to totally stay focused on.
This is a movie that is worth seeing if you can but don't expect anything super amazing.
Overall, a movie with shades of Misery that dragged just enough to make it hard to stay completely involved in.
And by this I'm not only talking about the budget (which seems to be a big concern for another reviewer), but also about the story of the movie.
It may feel like the movie tries to cheat its way into the viewers mind a little bit, but the actors make up for it.This is still a tough watch, because the title is chosen for a reason.
There is not always reason to things happening in the movie and it seems a bit like a muddle from time to time, but it's still able to hold up a certain degree of suspense, if you let it to.
The actors try their best to divert from some holes in the script (or finished movie, if scenes got deleted for pacing reasons) and the movie will be explicit in depicting violence to a degree..
Mike Epps shows some range which adds to his resume but for the life of me, I don't know why Sanaa Latham and Anthony Mackie took the roles....guess it must have been a slow year and pay was too hard to turn down, lol.Average suspense and unpredictable ending makes it a 5 of 10.
Now I went in knowing that it had a 4.7/10 average (at the moment) which does indeed sound low, but with general urban movies with a predominantly black cast a low rating is not out of the ordinary.I mean despite it's flaws, I did enjoy for instance THE CONFIDANT (2010) which has some similarities to this, and was also a Codeblack Entertainment movie, so I was thinking that this could still be good.I'm fans of most of the cast...
Forest Whitaker especially who is one of my big time favourites.But, neither of them can save this poorly written psychological thriller (without much logic).Riddled with plot holes and not a single likable character in sight that seemingly get less likable by the minute it quickly becomes a dull watch.I'm all for African American movies in diverse settings and genres but this is a really poor attempt of a movie and it makes NO GOOD DEED (2014) look like a masterpiece in comparison.Yeah a very disappointing effort indeed..
"Repentance" starts off as a reasonably sincere tale of a best-selling author/life coach (Anthony Mackie) who tries to help a grieving man (Forest Whitaker) come to turns with the death of his mother.
But at the 35-minute mark, the movie suddenly jumps the tracks, turning into a bizarre, yet strangely conventional, hostage drama, with the psychologically disturbed client kidnapping and torturing the psychologist in an effort to prove which of the two is actually most in need of help.The movie seems to be making the case that people like the Mackie character are just glib, overpaid shysters, taking advantage of people's suffering by offering them little but shibboleths and bromides to help them cope with their problems - but any message the movie might be trying to convey is subsumed by the unpleasant melodramatics that come to dominate the second half.
Yeomen that they are, Mackie and Whitaker work valiantly to overcome the various roadblocks that the script throws in their path, but even these two fine performers eventually have to concede that they're fighting a losing battle here.
Walking away from this movie I learned one thing...no, not what the director meant for me to learn, but rather, that Anthony Mackie is a really good actor.
It has too much new age religious overtones and that obviously has to do with Forest's involvement as producer (I get it he is a deep guy with deeper religious feelings.)The problem is I had no idea that this was a horror film till I visited this page.
In fact, I thought it was a pretty up-film with some unnecessary gory scenes.
The dialogue is very weak and unfortunately gives a pretty good cast little to do that is interesting.
I would have to say that Ghost Dog was a much better investigation of a disturbed man with a life journey (Forest is good in both films, and he has nothing to prove anymore, but this film was not his best exploration of his craft.)Mike Epps was also good for his first role and I had wished he had more of a chance to explore his character because it seems like he was on to something.
So, the acting is good, but the film is weak, and poorly directed for such a strong cast..
While I have seen some excellent films, I must say that a few of them were so violent and so disturbing that it makes me want to take a break and seen something pleasant.
After all, generally films should be enjoyable and the last two I've seen were incredibly well made but extremely upsetting to watch.
And, "Repentance" DEFINITELY makes me want to take a break from violent films."Repentance" begins with a couple drunken men driving home from a binge.
The driver of the car, Tommy Carter (Anthony Mackie), is a respected author who writes new age self-help books.
He's at a book signing and Angel (Forest Whitaker) tells him that he loves his books—so much that he'd love to have some one on one counseling.
So, reluctantly, Tommy decides to take Angel on as a client to get money for the brother.The work Tommy does with Angel is like a combination of being a life coach and a lot of new age mysticism and ceremonies.
The problem is that this sort of work might work fine for reasonably well adjusted folks, but it's very obvious that Angel is emotionally disturbedVERY emotionally disturbed.
Further, he feels that Angel's problems can be solved by him stop taking his medication, working through some grieving ceremonies and thinking positive thoughts!
Now it's obvious to Tommy that he's way in over his head—his brand of feel-good counseling is no match for 100% nuts!
While I thought Repentance was a very good film—especially because of its acting and clever twists—I also thought it was very hard for the average person to watch.
It also has a lot of loose ends that are deliberately left that way at the end of the film.
I didn't mind that at all, as I like films where the viewers can debate exactly what will happen next.
My wife, though, HATES films with such endings and I doubt if I ever could get her to watch a film like this.So is it appropriate for you?
It certainly is NOT a film for kids, your mother or anyone else who is looking for a feel good film!
. to a shovel fight, and movies teach us that few people use conventional weapons (such as revolvers) in Louisiana.
Pipes, power tools, and cloth sacks full of broken shards of glass are among the tools of the torture trade for the vengeful Angel of REPENTANCE, ably played by Forest Whitaker.
The guiltier brother is last shown facing a fate too grisly for the cameras to dwell upon: days of cannibalizing his true love, followed by weeks of starving to death in Angel's basement bomb shelter.
No one needs a "life coach." Everyone can find salvation inside their own heads (and if you want to have a REAL "near-death episode," just try throwing a random old lady off a bridge in Louisiana's "Voodoo Alley")..
Imagine a Misery inspired movie in which the author was a psychiatrist and the crazed fan was someone who deeply needed their help with grief..
For Will Smith, it is the likable and approachable Black guy; Denzel Washington, as of late, recycles his Training Day persona; and then there is Forest Whitaker who usually plays off putting characters.
This one is no different but, with a character which reminded me of Kathy Bates in Misery, the question is whether his portrayal as Angel was good, or just another awkward character of his to write off?Characters & StoryA man with mental issues named Angel (Forest Whitaker) has lost his mom; his wife, to a point; and now all he has is his house and daughter.
But there is one man he believes can help him: that man is Tommy Carter (Anthony Mackie) whose self-help book dealing with his brush with death seems to have had a profound effect on Angel.
But as Angel reveals his demons, Tommy finds himself facing off with them and his own which involve wife Maggie (Sanaa Lathan), as well as Ben (Mike Epps).
Leaving us with a film which makes it seem that Tommy may have taken on Angel's problems a bit too lightly.PraiseAs always, Whitaker playing an unnerving character just fits.
And in this movie he is not only off putting, but a bit frightening as well.
Arguably, Whitaker could probably play, with the right script, an iconic fictional villain again and perhaps set a precedent people would be trying to match for years.
But you can see Whitaker's veteran status definitely gives him the upper hand.CriticismWhen it comes to the story though, it does require you to be a tad bit open- minded.
For one, Whitaker as Angel is so off putting that it is hard to understand why Tommy would allow himself to be alone with this man.
For one, it doesn't act well as a break between Angel's mad moments, nor does it really draw you into either Lathan or Epps' characters fully.
And two, as much as I understand they are there to beef up Tommy, neither character is written, or maybe portrayed, to the point you really care about them.
Then with Epps, who honestly I am just not fond of as an actor, not only are you given this brash and utterly unappealing character, but the attempt at giving him a proper back-story to draw sympathy out of you just feels utterly weak.Overall: TV ViewingThough I am not highly fond of either Lathan or Epps' characters, their place in the film hardly takes away from Whitaker and Mackie's story.
If anything, Epps and Lathan are like a pickle which comes with your burger which wasn't asked for.
But overall I am labelling this as "TV Viewing" since even though I like Whitaker and Mackie in this movie, honestly neither pushes the story to a place where it makes this "Worth Seeing." It is decent to spend some time with, especially if you are a fan of anyone involved, but this surely isn't the highlight of any of their careers.
This Just Didn't Work At All. Generally speaking, I like Forest Whitaker.
In fact, he's the reason I was willing to rent this movie in spite of its rather mixed (at best) reviews.
His performance as Angel Sanchez was actually good.
Whitaker handled the vengeful psycho character pretty well - one moment the quiet, gentle and doting father; the next moment busy torturing the guy he blames for his mother's death in his basement.
Whitaker was the obvious highlight of the movie.Then, into the mix comes Anthony Mackie as Thomas Carter, and here's where things begin to fall apart.
But the character, and the direction the story takes.
Then - because Angel and Tommy have to be brought together in some way - there's the very fortunate release of Tommy's brother Ben (Mike Epps) from prison.
Ben needs money, he wants it from Tommy, Tommy apparently owes him big time so to get money he takes on - voila!
I like Forest Whitaker.
But this is one Forest Whitaker movie I wish I hadn't seen.
This is one of those little films you may not see at your local multiplex, but end up showing up online to watch shortly after it's release.
A good cast, including Oscar winner Forrest Whitaker, Anthony Mackie, Nicole Ari Parker and Sanaa Lathan, but ultimately this film could not be saved.Mackie plays an author/self-help guru who agrees to help Whitaker, who goes ballistic, and takes him hostage for his sins of the past.
I was never quite sure what Whitaker's character's full motivation was (against the Mackie character), and not sure if the movie completely resolved everything.