Forgiveness

Emmy-winning director Helen Whitney's two-part PBS-aired documentary tackles the complex subject of forgiveness, tracing its religious roots (“Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”) before moving on to science, psychology, and the self-help movement. Initially, Whitney looks at the private realm, focusing on serial killer Gary Ridgway and his victims' families; author Terri Jentz, survivor of a murder attempt when she was a college student; and Claire Schroeder, the daughter of a slain policeman, who refuses to forgive Katherine Power, a Vietnam War protestor who participated in a bank robbery that led to his death. Other segments concern a mother who abandoned her family, and the Amish community in Pennsylvania that was beset by a horrific killing spree of its schoolchildren in 2006. Whitney then takes a broader perspective and considers events such as the Rwandan genocide; war crimes in Germany, South Africa, and Liberia; and President Reagan's controversial visit to the cemetery in Bitburg, Germany, where many Nazi soldiers are buried. Narration by Jane Alexander accompanies archival and contemporary footage, while commentary from spiritual leaders and others rounds out the presentation. Although Whitney relies too much on a mournful string-and-piano-laden score, this is otherwise a fair-minded, thought-provoking documentary about a complex and elusive concept. Recommended. [Note: this is also available with public performance rights for $550 from Bullfrog Films, www.bullfrogfilms.com.] Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)