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The Forgiving is a 2020 dramatic film. The third feature film by Cine Golden Eagle-winner David J. Stern, it was independently produced on a budget of $25,000, some of which was raised through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. The film was executive produced by Emmy Award-winner Peter Mitchell through Marketing for Change Co. and produced by Matthew Roe, Patricia Meyers, and Stern. The film stars John Gerard Healy, Jenna Sokolowski, Andy Brownstein, and Emily Classen.

Plot
Avi Brickman (John Gerard Healy) is a middle-aged man, broken from the tragic death of his eight-year-old daughter Kaylah (Carolena Arias) five years earlier. When he is fired from his job, a thin threaded lifeline to his shattered existence, he decides to kill himself in the very home where the accident occurred. However, when he arrives at the isolated house in the woods, he finds a woman (Emily Classen) and her young daughter (Laurel Webb) taking shelter there. During one long night, in his confused state of mind, he is haunted by the ghosts of his past as he confronts his guilt and pain to a cathartic and unexpected conclusion.

Production
Production of The Forgiving took two years, starting in 2017 and completed in 2019, with locations in Washington, D.C., Luray, Alexandria, Bethesda, Westminster, Columbia, and Ellicott City.

Release
The Forgiving was originally slated to have its world premiere at the 2020 Maryland International Film Festival, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was postponed. It would go on to have its world premiere at the 2020 Paris Lift-Off Film Festival, where it was screened via Vimeo on Demand with over thirty other feature films from around the world. The film was picked up for international distribution by Indie Rights, and was released via Amazon Prime on November 13, 2020.

Reception
The Forgiving has received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Film Threat's Alan Ng wrote, "There are a lot of stories on the market with grief as the central theme. While The Forgiving tells a heartfelt story, it risks getting lost in the pack. In the end, I’ll say see The Forgiving, when I wish I could say, you must see The Forgiving." Take2IndieReview 's Rich Monetti wrote, "The resolution isn’t quite as profound as some intricate science fiction mystery that goes long on the wow factor. But that’s ok. The end is real and ordinary pulls much harder on your heartstrings." Brian Penn, writing for UK Film Review, described the film as, "a well-acted, acutely observed film; but can also take us to dark places in our own lives." Jolly Moel, of Screen Critix, wrote, "Despite there not being a great deal of action, incident, or friction throughout the 103 minutes of The Forgiving, it does show some quality and Jon Gerard Healy’s performance as Avi is more than worth your time." The publication IndyRed declared, ""It looks good, it sounds good, and it simply worked. What else is there?"