The Forgiven is a satirical take on the rich and glamorous, wrapped in the gritty aesthetics of a drama mystery and adapted from the novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, the film follows a wealthy London couple, David and Jo Henninger (Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain), as their trip to a lavish weekend party goes completely wrong when they are involved in a tragic accident with a local village boy.
Not wanting to miss on the fun of their upcoming party, the couple attempts to cover up the incident and avoid any interrogation from the police. However, things take a turn when the boy’s father arrives to seek justice, setting the stage for the ultimate culture clash between different worlds and contrasting social statuses.
Planned for a theatrical release, here’s how you can watch The Forgiven.
Is The Forgiven in Movie Theaters?
The simple answer to that is yes. The Forgiven is scheduled to be released on July 1, 2022, in the United States. The film will be distributed by Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment. Focus Features also plans to release the movie in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2022.
Before this, The Forgiven first premiered exclusively at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2021. Two months later, Roadside Attraction and Vertical Entertainment announced that they had acquired the film's theatrical and video distribution rights for the North American audience, followed by Focus Features and Film4 for the United Kingdom audience. While no date for the worldwide release is confirmed, Universal Pictures has claimed its distribution rights for the rest of the world.
Will The Forgiven Be Streaming Online?
At the moment, no news has been confirmed yet for the online streaming of The Forgiven. However, a regular pre-pandemic theatrical window typically takes anywhere between 45 and 75 to 90 days, meaning that a movie would play strictly in theaters during that period before it goes on online streaming. But that also depends on the streaming platforms that are interested in obtaining the film’s distribution rights, so keep your eyes peeled for updates.
Will The Forgiven Be Available on DVD or Blu-Ray?
Good news! The Forgiven is expected for a Blu-Ray release a couple of months after its public theatrical debut. Vertical Entertainment has acquired the rights to release the movie on Blu-Ray, with an expected arrival date on the market approximately around September 13, 2022. So stay tuned for future updates if you plan on watching the thriller from the comfort of your home.
Watch The Forgiven Trailer
We got the trailer for The Forgiven on May 19, 2022. The trailer begins with a birds-eye view of a bright Moroccan village landscape before transitioning to David and Jo driving 400 miles across the desert to a party outside town. Despite the beautiful scenery along the way, things appear tense in the car.
The gleaming blue skies finally darken, leaving the couple in pitch-black darkness with only their car headlights to guide them. They're completely lost at this point and get into a heated argument, which quickly turns deadly when David accidentally hits an unsuspecting person in front of him with his car.
The couple arrives at the hotel where the party is being held. But before they can enjoy the rest of their weekend, they have some unfinished business. David asks the hotel staff for assistance in tending to the dead body. David may have thought he had washed his hands of the situation, but the trouble has only begun when a family member of the deceased arrives at the hotel to retrieve his body and also requests that David return with him to an undisclosed location.
Who Are the Cast and Characters of The Forgiven?
The full cast of The Forgiven includes Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Chastain, Matt Smith, Ismael Kanater, Caleb Landry Jones, Saïd Taghmaoui, Christopher Abbott, Abbey Lee, Mourad Zaoui, Marie-Josée Croze, and Alex Jennings.
Fiennes plays David Henninger, a wealthy doctor who’s been invited to a party in a Moroccan villa along with his wife. Unfortunately, David happens to be a functioning alcoholic, usually with a highball glass in his hands. His drunkenness eventually costs him a life as he accidentally hits someone stepping out in front of his car. Fiennes is an Academy Award-nominated actor, with striking movies like Schindler’s List and The English Patient under his belt.
Meanwhile, David’s wife, Jo Henninger (Chastain), was a children’s author but hasn’t penned down a single word in years. Of course, some might think she's been lucky, getting to marry a wealthy man with a respectable profession, but this isn’t the case for Jo. On the contrary, she feels highly displeased with the marriage. Their relationship isn’t one that’s built on love but instead survives on the trenches of convenience, which explains the couple’s apparent sulkiness in the trailer.
The Moroccan party the couple is supposed to attend is held by their friend Richard Galloway (Matt Smith), who’s joined by his lover Dalley Margolis (Caleb Landry Jones). The two promise an exorbitant party at their swanky villa, with expensive delicacies, free-flowing drinks, and an international and mostly all-white guest list. You may recognize Smith from his time as the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who and Jones from his role in the hit movie The Outpost.
Kanater is set to play Abedella Taheri, the father of the deceased boy, while Taghmaoui is set to play Anouar, a fellow resident of the local village who’s willing to exchange words with David amid all the tension. Abbott plays Tom Day, a guest who’s the life of the party. No other character details have yet to be released for the rest of the cast members.
When and Where Was The Forgiven Filmed?
Plans for The Forgiven were already in motion in May 2018, when news confirmed that the movie would be written and directed by John Michael McDonagh. During the same month, casting was confirmed for Fiennes, Rebecca Hall, Mark Strong, and Said Taghmaoui, though now it looks like only Hall and Strong will not actually be in the movie.
Filming was scheduled for 2019, but instead, the film saw more additions to the cast. Caleb Landry Jones became the next choice for the star-studded cast, followed by Chastain. In 2020, Marie-Josée Croze, Matt Smith, Christopher Abbott, Ismael Kanater, Alex Jennings, and Abbey Lee joined the cast, eventually completing the ensemble.
Filming finally began in 2020, starting with principal photography in February. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic in March put an abrupt halt to the production of the film. Once things got a bit more stable six months after their last shooting session, filming for The Forgiven continued in Morocco and has now finished production.