The Forgiven

The Forgiven is a 2017 South African drama film directed by Roland Joffé starring Forest Whitaker, Eric Bana and Jeff Gum. Joffé co-wrote the script with Michael Ashton on the basis of the play The Archbishop and the Antichrist by Michael Ashton, which tells a story involving Archbishop Desmond Tutu's search for answers during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and his meetings with the fictional character Piet Blomfeld. Plot After the end of apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu is running the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and visits Cape Town's Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison to meet with Piet Blomfeld, an ex-security police officer and Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging member, to assess his candidacy for amnesty. Blomfeld is a potential witness to murders committed during the time of Apartheid, particularly the murder of the teenage daughter of Mrs. Morobe, who begs the Archbishop to find answers about her missing daughter. Blomfeld initially shows no regret and no willingness to speak, instead using his time during the meetings to berate the Archbishop with insults. However, when the Archbishop shows him a photograph of a young black girl in his file and tells him that he is in two prisons, (the other being the prison within himself) he begins to reconsider. Francois Schmidt, one of Blomfeld's fellow officers and a participant in the murders, initially tries to pay off a black gang to assassinate Blomfeld, but Blomfeld (having been affected by the Archbishop's words) spares the life of the prisoner sent to kill him and manages to earn the respect of the gang to the point where they tell Schmidt to fight his own battles. He also forms somewhat of a bond with the prisoner, Benjamin. As this is going on, Howard Varney (one of the members of the Commission) speaks with Mrs. Van der Berghe, who had known Blomfeld when he was a child. He learns that Piet Blomfeld had been friends with a young black girl (the girl in the photograph); his father Rian did not approve and murdered the girl and her entire family before beating Piet so badly he broke his arm. Afterwards the Blomfelds moved to Zimbabwe; while Piet was at boarding school the rest of his family was killed (presumably as retaliation for Rian's crimes.) Blomfeld ultimately decides to confess, and calls the archbishop. Schmidt arranges for the prison to be locked down and then attacks Blomfeld accompanied by riot troopers; Blomfeld is ultimately beaten to death by the troopers.