The Forgiven Trailer: A Wealthy Couple Is Forced To Face Consequences They Can't Run From

A trailer for John Michael McDonagh's "The Forgiven" is here, and things take a dark, murky turn from the get-go. McDonagh is back with a thriller that highlights class divides — specifically, the ever-widening gulf between the haves and the have-nots. 

"The Forgiven" is an adaptation of Lawrence Osbourne's scathing novel about wealthy westerners who are used to sailing through life sans consequences. They are finally forced to reckon with their actions after Ralph Fiennes' character drunkenly runs over a man in the Moroccan desert, and his family show up to claim the body and deliver justice.

Check out the trailer for "The Forgiven" below.

The Forgiven trailer

The trailer opens with couple David (Fiennes) and Jo (Jessica Chastain) on their way to the High Atlas mountains of Morocco, as they intend to attend a lavish weekend party thrown by their friends at a posh villa. The affluent London westerners seem to not see eye-to-eye, as there is an element of discord between the two. David is perpetually drunk, and Jo coldly tells him that she feels like an "accessory" in more ways than one.

On their way to the destination, David accidentally hits and runs over a local teenage boy. While this is an accident, there seems to be no remorse on David's part, as he deems the boy's death as an inconvenience rather than reacting to the situation with earnest empathy. Jo harbors much resentment for her husband, as there seems to be no semblance of love or affection between them. Yet she is an accomplice in the matter, whether she likes it or not.

When the boy's father arrives at the scene demanding justice, "The Forgiven" undergoes a shift in tone, transforming into a bifurcated storyline. While Jo engages in frivolity, David must face the consequences of his actions, and things get progressively tenser as time passes.

Apart from Fiennes and Chastain, the cast of "The Forgiven" includes Matt Smith, Ismael Kanater, Caleb Landry Jones, Abbey Lee, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Christopher Abbott. Here's the official synopsis:

"Speeding through the Moroccan desert to attend an old friend's lavish weekend party, wealthy Londoners David and Jo Henninger (Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain) are involved in a tragic accident with a local teenage boy. Arriving late at the grand villa with the debauched party raging, the couple attempts to cover up the incident with the collusion of the local police. But when the boy's father arrives seeking justice, the stage is set for a tension-filled culture clash in which David and Jo must come to terms with their fateful act and its shattering consequences."

"The Forgiven" will be released in theaters on July 1, 2022.