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88
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Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
It's a thriller that feels like a documentary.
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88
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Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
While The Forgiveness of Blood lacks the narrative momentum of director Joshua Marston's previous film, "Maria Full of Grace" - it is nonetheless fascinating.
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83
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Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
This gripping if tamped-down drama is steeped in ancient Albanian culture, where the real, tragic consequences of blood feuds can keep families trapped in their homes for generations.
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80
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Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Quietly affecting and surprisingly dramatic, so long as you're willing to watch it unfold at its own deliberate pace.
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80
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New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
There is so much to admire in Joshua Marston's The Forgiveness of Blood that it's easy to overlook the miracle at its center: Marston's artistic idealism.
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75
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NPR Jeannette Catsoulis
Richly photographed by Rob Hardy (who gave Red Riding: 1974 its almost surreal bleakness), this meticulously researched story (Marston spent a month interviewing families trapped in these vendettas) reveals a culture dominated by male pride and patriarchal selfishness.
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75
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San Francisco Chronicle Walter Addiego
The nonprofessional cast is convincing, especially Lacej, whose Rudina registers more strongly than Nik.
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75
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Boston Globe Ty Burr
Marston's a miniaturist even when The Forgiveness of Blood calls out for larger gestures, and you occasionally sense a more bruising, compelling movie lurking behind this one.
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63
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Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Watching the film, I felt impatience with these bullheaded men and the women who endure them. That's what Marston intended, I'm sure, but the stupidity of the characters doesn't provide much of an emotional payoff.
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50
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The New York Times Manohla Dargis
Frustratingly, though, perhaps because he is an outsider and was concerned about appearing biased about another culture, about all that Mr. Marston does is chew on this clash, as if the repeated images of teenagers talking on cellphones next to a horse-drawn cart were a substitute for a strong filmmaking point of view.
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company.