The Forgiveness of Blood Has Much More to Offer than Blood, Toils, Tears and Sweat
Capturing the current mood of Albania, a country in transition but still clinging to ancient customs that paralyze the progress of its youth, The Forgiveness of Blood is the second full-length feature by Joshua Marston, who more than lives up to his auspicious debut, the acclaimed 2004 shocker Maria Full of Grace. He’s a rare combination of visionary, journalist, sociologist and historian, and he really knows how to tell a compelling story in vivid narrative terms that keep you locked to the screen, reluctant to look away for fear of distraction.
Just as Maria Full of Grace chronicled the downfall of a girl from Colombia whose desperation to survive a dead-end struggle with boredom led her into a lucrative job as a “mule” for a gang of drug smugglers, The Forgiveness of Blood transports us to another remote small town (this time in northern Albania) where normal teenagers are trapped between past and present. Read More
