The Forgiven

The Archbishop and head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Tutu embodies moral authority and compassion. He seeks a path to truth with patience, guiding Blomfeld toward confession while offering resilience to victims seeking answers. His presence foregrounds reconciliation as a collective, spiritual project rather than a purely legal process.

An ex security police officer and member of a far right faction, Blomfeld is initially defiant and coarse. Through the Archbishop s dialogue and the weight of the past, he moves toward confession and a fragile shift in loyalty, even as he faces a violent confrontation in the prison.

The mother of a murdered girl, she embodies grief and insistence on answers. She confronts the trauma of losing her daughter and seeks accountability, but also grapples with the possibility of forgiveness.

Linda is the widow of the man involved in the crimes. She expresses relief and gratitude toward the Archbishop for guiding the truth process and acknowledges that she did not want to face the full extent of her husband s actions until confronting it in the commission.

A fellow officer and party to the murders, Schmidt attempts to manipulate the system by paying off a black gang to kill Blomfeld. His role highlights the callousness that obscured accountability, and his arc ends in violent conflict with the truth.

An inmate who forms a sort of bond with Blomfeld, representing a glimmer of humanity within the prison walls. His interactions underscore the possibility of connection even among those who have committed grave crimes.

A member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission who investigates Blomfeld s past. Varney discovers the backstory of Blomfeld along with the girl in the photograph, contributing to the slow uncoupling of silence and pretense.

A fellow inmate who occupies space within the prison world. His presence helps to populate the environment of the Truth and Reconciliation conversations and the pressure cooker of the institution.

A prison figure who appears in the broader security context of the story. His appearance contributes to the tension and the eventual confrontation with the past.