Fighting For Forgiveness

“Abandonment doesn't have the sharp but dissipating sting of a slap. It's like a punch to the gut, bruising your skin and driving the precious air from your body.”

Tayari Jones, Silver Sparrow

A free bird leaps on the back

Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange sun’s rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.

I know why the caged bird sings

by Maya Angelou

Throughout the Oscar Pistorius murder trial there has been a lot of talk around the legal adage, ‘Justice delayed, is justice denied’. A sentiment I’m sure everyone agrees with.

Unfortunately, the perpetrators of some of the most harmful and debilitating crimes, like the ones that happen at home, often candidly get to roam this world free without ever being convicted or sentenced for what they’ve done.

               

Occasionally, however, the wheel turns and when it does, boy - hell hath no fury like a child who was frequently scorned. When children who were the victims of abuse finally have an opportunity to ‘hold court’, they often become judge, jury and executioner. Their justice was delayed and now the abusive parent's is denied.

The question is can you really blame them? When you are that young, you simply don’t have the emotional or intellectual resources to maturely deal with your circumstances. Worse, you won’t have the physical strength to hit back and stand up for yourself either.

Whenever the interpersonal relationships of a family go shipwreck due to prolonged fighting, neglect and abuse, the damage caused can be incomprehensible. Should it be as a result of an abusive alcoholic, more often than none – unforgivable. 

In the movie 'Warrior', when Tommy Conlon (Tom Hardy), suddenly rocks up on his father’s doorstep one evening, he has no idea that his son is out for justice and longing to deliver him with a verdict that’s long overdue.  In fact, he can hardly remember when last he saw his son; the two haven’t had any contact for years.

Paddy Conlon (Nick Nolte) was a vicious man while Tommy and his brother Brendan (Joel Edgerton) were growing up as boys. He was drunk most of the time and in his drunken stupor frequently became an administrator of violence rather than being a loving father, who carefully steers his boys towards manhood.

Now, years later, he has finally sobered up. But the seeds of doubt, instability and anarchy that he sowed in his children’s lives while being inebriated have now finally caught up with him; and what you sow, you often reap.

During their first encounter, we see Tommy has also become a heavy drinker, while also popping pills in between mouths full of liquor. The sight of his legacy of being a failure as a father is overwhelming to Paddy and he becomes quite emotional. Tommy is quick to mock him and point out how pathetic he has become; a man who now cries and who doesn’t even drink.

The only silver lining to the ominous dark clouds that are clearly busy brewing between them is the fact that Paddy used to be Tommy’s wrestling coach, and he was a damn good one, too. It is for this reason and this reason alone, that his son has decided to seek him out again – Tommy wants to enter a Mixed Martial Arts competition and he wants Paddy to train him.

To some, having your father as your coach can be the closest thing to getting some attention from him. Just ask Brendan, Tommy’s older brother, because as boys he never got any of it.

Brendan (Joel Edgerton), a High School Science teacher, is a married man and together with his wife Tess (Jennifer Morrison), have two young daughters to support. The family is struggling financially, Tess is already working two jobs and Brendan does bouncer work for extra cash.

Out of desperation, he decides to participate in an amateur MMA fight and ends up victorious. With his winnings, he convinces Tess that he can earn more money and do so better in one night than in a whole month of bouncing.

When Brendan however decides to up the ante and enter the same competition Tommy is training for, he unknowingly sets himself on a collision course with his brother and all the hurt and pain that once tore them as a family apart.

Although both the brothers have made the most of moving on with their lives, trying to escape their past, they are still not free. Emotionally they are still caged birds. Fate it seems is not without a sense of irony, for it is in the cage that both will fight for more than just financial freedom. 

‘Warrior’ centres on some powerful themes. It’s a story of betrayal, neglect and abuse. It’s also a story of love and forgiveness. But above all, it’s a story of redemption; and how a bond between two brothers and a father sometimes run deeper than the differences that once pushed them apart.

It’s an inspiring film with a well-written script that is excellently directed. The performances from both Edgerton and Hardy are brilliant, raw and authentic. Together, they create the right amount of drama; setting a tone to each scene that is emotionally every bit as challenging as the actual fights themselves.