Mill Valley Film Festival 2011 – “The Forgiveness Of Blood”, “Heritage”, and “What Happened Here?”

Movie: The Forgiveness Of Blood

Director: Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace)

Showtimes: Thu. Oct 13, 2011, 4:00pm @ Sequoia Theatre – Mill Valley (Tickets)

Sat. Oct 15, 2011, 12:15pm @ Sequoia Theatre – Mill Valley (Tickets)

Being a teenager is never the easiest of things, especially when your family is involved in an escalating land conflict resulting in your father taking part in a murder, along with the subsequent consequences of such an act.  In this case, it’s Blood Law, which means the males of the family are under house arrest until the conflict is settled, which could take years, and if they leave the house they could be shot on sight.  The first thing that struck me about this film is that modern-day Albania has some screwed up laws.  The second thing I noticed was that all the elements that go into a film being a worthwhile outing (script, acting, sound, costume, and photography) were spot on, making The Forgiveness Of Blood an uniquely claustrophobic coming-of-age drama. – Adam Cuttler

Reviews for Heritage and What Happened Here? after the jump