Forgive and Forget - B+
By Kage Alan

David O’Neil and Theo have been best friends for 14 years. They work for David’s father doing plastering and other various construction duties, hang out at the bars together, jog and check out the local available singles. This has been the way of things for a long time and it’s a comfortable routine. Unfortunately (and there’s always something unfortunate that crops up), Theo falls for a young woman named Hannah, which means there’s less time for David.

While close friends often go through a period when their routines are interrupted because a romantic partner enters the picture, this one hits David hard because he’s in love with Theo and has never felt comfortable saying anything about it. When Theo declares his love for Hannah and moves in with her, David uses his knowledge of the couple to play on their fears and tear them apart. His actions aren’t based on hate so much as he feels that Theo is a kindred spirit and that they, not Theo and Hannah, should be together. It’s only at the end when David announces on a TV talk show called “Forgive and Forget” that everything comes out and he faces the consequences of his actions.

“Forgive and Forget” presents its story and characters fairly and without relying on major stereotypes, which makes it all the more powerful. The characters in the film are extremely well written and are flawed in very real ways. David is too butch to be suspected as queer and too blinded to fully understand what he’s doing to his friend, Theo makes the mistake of lying to Hannah and Hannah can’t get past a previous relationship (where she was cheated on) long enough to see that Theo is everything he says he is. The end of the film, though brutal, remains true to the story and therefore respectable.