The Forgiven
Roadside Attractions | Release Date: July 1, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
20
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinKim HughesJun 30, 2022
McDonagh’s sumptuous version of the novel —which premiered at TIFF last year — is utterly faithful and thus note perfect, capturing its resonant ruminations on social inequity, racism, and cultural tourism in a sweeping Moroccan desert Sheltering Sky novelist Paul Bowles would recognize. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeSep 14, 2021
Scripted, directed and acted with intelligence and panache, it’s a very grown-up film but never a bore, a morally alert drama that leaves the scolding to us. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJun 29, 2022
The Forgiven holds us in its grips until the very last frame. Read full review
83
UproxxVince ManciniJul 14, 2022
The Forgiven is the rare adult drama that doesn’t feel like a museum piece. It lives and breathes, it teases and provokes, the kind of movie that seems designed to be discussed and fought over — in a world where adults might still do such things. Read full review
83
IndieWireRyan LattanzioSep 14, 2021
While this nasty film seems headed toward a conclusion where the rich win and the status quo is maintained, that’s abruptly shattered by a violent climax that assures that no one on either side of the divide is left without a bloodstain. Read full review
81
TheWrapSteve PondSep 17, 2021
Dark and unsettling, The Forgiven doesn’t ask us to like its characters, but it forces us to watch as privilege begins to shatter and people for whom everything feels inconsequential have to deal with consequences. Read full review
80
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 14, 2021
McDonagh’s characters are more complex than the initial caricatures make them out to be — perhaps, in the end, even pitiful — leaving audiences to decide how they feel about their ultimate fates. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubJack SmartJul 6, 2022
Discrimination, exoticization, willful ignorance, poorly disguised disdain for local customs—you name it, these vacationing Westerners have it. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedJul 5, 2022
The Forgiven is not a journey every viewer will want to make, but it’s a rewarding experience to watch Ralph Fiennes play the emotional subtexts of such a complicated role with such power and nuance. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 30, 2022
In many ways, The Forgiven feels like a CliffsNotes version of a longer, more complex narrative. But, even considering that numerous subplots might benefit from a mini-series approach to the material, the transformation of the central character is handled in a powerful, credible manner. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 29, 2022
Alternately stark and lurid, poetic and very well acted, it’s a return to form for McDonagh, who rather lost the plot with “War on Everyone.” Read full review
70
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaSep 14, 2021
The Forgiven runs the risk of becoming a thoughtless movie about a vile white man who is taught a lesson by wise brown people, but McDonagh, who also wrote the script, manages to (mostly) avoid that with a subtle touch. Read full review
62
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerJul 5, 2022
It’s telling that The Forgiven has the shape of a long, dark night of the soul, while actually taking place over several days. Read full review
More From This Movie

59 Critic Reviews

4.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 71 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL