7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Nik is a carefree teenager in a small town with a crush on the school beauty and ambitions to start his own internet café. His world is suddenly up-ended when his father and uncle become entangled in a land dispute that leaves a fellow villager murdered. According to a centuries-old code of law, this entitles the dead man's family to take the life of a male from Nik's family as retribution. His uncle in jail and his father in hiding, Nik is the prime target and confined to the home while his younger sister Rudina is forced to leave school and take over their father's business.
Starring: Refet Abazi, Tristan Halilaj, Sindi Lacej, Ilire Vinca CelajDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 91% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Albanian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, Joshua Marston's "The Forgiveness of Blood" (2011) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer for the film; discussion with producer Paul Mezey; video interview with actors Refet Abazi Tristan Halilaj, and Sindi Lacej; audio commentary with director Joshua Marston; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Oscar Moralde. In Albanian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
You owe them blood...
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Joshua Marston's The Forgiveness of Blood arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"Approved by director of photography Rob Hardy, this new high-definition digital transfer was created on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the Super 16mm negative.
Transfer supervisor: Paul Mezey.
Colorist: Tim Stipan/Technicolor, New York."
The presentation is up to the very high standards set by Criterion. The film has an appropriate raw look that boasts excellent warm, very natural colors and very pleasing clarity and depth. There are small contrast fluctuations between the daylight and nighttime footage, but they are part of the film's cinematography. Traces of problematic lab tinkering are nowhere to be seen. Specifically, there are absolutely no traces of excessive degraining and sharpening corrections. Compression is excellent. When projected, the film also conveys outstanding depth. There are no stability issues. The high-definition transfer is also free of damage marks, stains, and scratches. To sum it all up, The Forgiveness of Blood looks excellent on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Albanian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The film features a fully digital 5.1 surround soundtrack. The audio for this release was mastered at 24-bit from the original digital audio master files using Pro Tools HD."
The lossless audio track is outstanding. Dynamic movement is rather limited, but depth and especially fluidity are excellent. There are random nature sounds, for example, that very effectively add to the film's tense atmosphere. At times, it almost feels like one is watching a documentary feature; the sense of authenticity that permeates the entire film is indeed one of its strongest assets. The dialog is crisp, very clean, and stable. The English translation is very good.
Joshua Marston's The Forgiveness of Blood is a fascinating film about a country in transition where right and wrong are constantly redefined. It is incredibly well researched and impeccably acted. Frankly, I don't think that I have seen a similar contemporary film by an American director offering such a carefully observed portrait of a foreign culture. Indeed, this is yet another wonderful addition to Criterion's impressive catalog. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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