Forgive Me Father
An Indy winner, by
Joe De Matteo
SUPER
This independent movie was
mostly filmed in Indiana, by a home town boy that
always remembers his home town.
On so many levels Ivan Rogers
has defeated the numerous problems that plagued this
production. It’s obvious to me that Mr. Rogers was
prepared to make a memorable film, one with the
style and tension of the classic noir-dramas of the
forties and fifties. And he has succeeded in that.
Some times the unforeseen can
help a project, but most often it hurts it. I
believe that Forgive Me Father has been
affected in both ways. The film originally had a
six-week filming schedule - it ultimately took
two-years. Can you imagine the problems that caused
that, and the problems that were caused because of
it? The screenplay when through three re-writes;
there had to have been scheduling problems for the
cast and crew. But, in spite of all the obstacles
Ivan Rogers has succeeded in giving us a good film,
one I personally enjoyed.
At times the film is
melodramatic, at times a beat or three too much
so. The fallout from the three re-writes and three
writers are evident in some places – like a sub-plot
that ends abruptly, or before the payoff, however,
when we remind ourselves that this is a low budget,
independent film, the final product is amazing.
I believe that the biggest
problem is that much of Forgive Me Father is
extremely good; so good that it raises our
expectation for the whole film. I’d love to see the
results of Ivan Rogers with a solid script, as well
as the money and support required to make an 'A'
movie. I believe he has the talent to give us a
total winner; I believe that Forgive Me Father
proves that.
As the star of Forgive Me
Father, Ivan Rogers has successfully delivered
a solid, believable performance; as director he has
given us an entertaining story worthy of our time.
It took a lot of hard work,
determination and tenacity to overcome the main
problems, as well as, the many ripples those
problems caused, in order to complete and release
this film. Ivan Rogers’ belief in the worth of the
project obviously drove him to this accomplishment.
Virgil Garrett (Ivan Rogers), Forgive Me Father’s
protagonist, is also a determined and tenacious
man.
The senseless and brutal
murder of his younger brother, a caring
pediatrician, reanimates Virgil Garrett the mob
hitman, who, after staging his own death twelve
years earlier, changed his life by becoming a
Catholic priest.
Virgil has been doing more
than just living his new life as a parish priest in
Canada. It is made obvious to us that a
conversion has taken place. In the immediate
aftermath of receiving the news of his brother's
savage murder, Father Virgil goes through a
tormenting soul search, but it is Garrett, the
professional killer, who emerges and makes the
decision as to how to react to his brother's murder.
Garrett’s decision is to extract vengeance.
This time of decision is
masterfully shown to us slightly out of focus,
grainy and uncomfortable to watch; Rogers uses a lot
of imagery here to help us understand the turmoil
within this man.
The opening music perfectly
sets the pace for the film, it is how the story will
unfold; it's the pace that Virgil Garrett follows
through out the film. The character study is
that of a passionate man who has solidly walked on
both the good and the evil paths of this world.
This is far beyond the action movies that Ivan
Rogers has become known for. Forgive Me Father
has real drama and suspense, it is a worthy,
entertaining independent film. I whole-heartedly
recommend it.
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