The Forgiven (2018) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

The Archbishop shows Blomfeld a photograph of a young black girl from his file and delivers a speech about being trapped in two prisons, the physical cell and the prison of his own heart. This visual and philosophical confrontation with his past deeply unsettles Blomfeld, triggering the first genuine moment of self-reflection in the film and marking the turning point from defiance toward vulnerability.

• Piet Blomfeld
• Desmond Tutu
• two prisons
• photo
• change of heart

When a fellow prisoner arrives to assassinate Blomfeld on Francois Schmidt's orders, Blomfeld recognizes the man and chooses not to kill him. This act of mercy surprises both the assassin and the black gang watching from nearby. The gang respects Blomfeld's unexpected compassion and tells Schmidt he must fight his own battles, effectively neutralizing the assassination plot.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Blomfeld's interactions with the Archbishop have already begun softening his outlook.

• assassin
• spare life
• mercy
• prison
• gang
• Francois Schmidt

After learning the full truth about his childhood, from Howard Varney's investigation revealing that his father Rian murdered a young black girl and her family, and that Piet was beaten for trying to protect her, Blomfeld is overwhelmed by the weight of his family's crimes. Combined with the Archbishop's earlier words about the two prisons, he decides to summon the Archbishop and confess to his role in the murders, including Mrs. Morobe's daughter and her boyfriend.

Foreshadowing: The Archbishop's photo and speech about inner prisons plant the initial seed of conscience.

• confession
• truth
• childhood
• father Rian
• murder
• TRC

Francois Schmidt, Blomfeld's former fellow officer and co-participant in the brutal apartheid-era killings, fears that Blomfeld will confess to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and expose Schmidt's own crimes. Desperate to protect himself, Schmidt hires a black gang to eliminate Blomfeld before he can testify. When that fails, Schmidt orchestrates the prison lockdown and riot trooper attack that ultimately kills Blomfeld.

Foreshadowing: Schmidt's desperation grows as Blomfeld's attitude shifts from defiance to cooperation.

• Francois Schmidt
• fear
• expose crimes
• assassination
• cover-up

As a child, Piet Blomfeld befriended a young black girl, which his father Rian violently opposed. Rian murdered the girl and her entire family, then brutally beat young Piet, damaging his arm permanently. The family later fled to Zimbabwe, where further retaliatory violence killed the rest of his relatives. This traumatic history explains Blomfeld's deep-seated guilt and the psychological prison that haunts him throughout the film.

• childhood
• father Rian
• Zimbabwe
• abuse
• guilt
• past trauma

After hearing Blomfeld's audio confession, which details the murder of her daughter and her boyfriend, Mrs. Morobe confronts Hansi Coetzee, another participant in the crime. The film presents her forgiveness not as instant absolution but as a painful, difficult choice aligned with the TRC's philosophy of restorative justice. Her forgiveness becomes a path to closure and healing, though it costs her tremendous emotional effort.

Foreshadowing: The Archbishop's work throughout the film establishes forgiveness as a conscious, difficult process.

• Mrs. Morobe
• forgiveness
• reconciliation
• Hansi Coetzee
• closure
• healing

Blomfeld is killed because Francois Schmidt orchestrates a prison lockdown and directs riot troopers to attack him before his confession can be fully heard by the Commission. Schmidt's coordinated assault ensures Blomfeld dies before revealing Schmidt's own crimes. Although Blomfeld has already recorded an audio confession beforehand, his murder represents the violent lengths perpetrators will go to suppress the truth.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows Schmidt planning the attack shortly after learning Blomfeld intends to confess.

• beaten to death
• riot troopers
• lockdown
• Schmidt
• murder
• confession audio

The Archbishop tells Blomfeld he is trapped in two prisons: the physical cell where he serves his sentence, and the internal prison of guilt, trauma, and moral isolation he has built around himself. The metaphor directly addresses how Blomfeld has become his own jailer through years of unresolved violence and racism. The photograph of the young black girl serves as the visual catalyst that makes this abstraction personally undeniable.

• two prisons
• metaphor
• Archbishop Tutu
• guilt
• inner prison
• psychological

Before the attack kills him, Blomfeld manages to transmit an audio confession detailing the murder of Mrs. Morobe's daughter and her boyfriend. This recording is later played at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission proceedings, ensuring his testimony survives even though he does not. The confession provides Mrs. Morobe with the answers she has sought and becomes a pivotal piece of evidence for the Commission.

Foreshadowing: Blomfeld records his thoughts privately earlier, anticipating the danger.

• audio confession
• TRC
• recording
• transmission
• evidence
• testimony

Benjamin is the fellow prisoner who was sent to kill Blomfeld but was spared. Before his death, Blomfeld leaves Benjamin the remaining money in his account, a small but meaningful gesture that represents his transformation from a man who ordered murders to someone capable of showing care toward someone he once considered an enemy. This act completes his arc toward humanity and reconciliation.

Foreshadowing: The bond between Blomfeld and Benjamin develops after the failed assassination attempt.

• Benjamin
• money
• care
• transformation
• prisoner
• redemption