The story of Forgive Us All
Forgive Us All arrives as something genuinely rare in the horror landscape — a post-apocalyptic film that isn't interested in the spectacle of collapse, but rather the human cost of living through it. The premise is deceptively simple: a virus has swept across the world, transforming humans into violently deranged cannibals. A bereaved mother named Rory has retreated to an isolated mountain cabin in New Zealand, where she's tried to carve out something resembling survival. Then a wounded stranger shows up at her door with a story, a presence, and a claim that contradicts everything she's learned about this new world. It's a setup that could go a dozen different ways, and director Jordana Stott — who wrote and helmed the film — seems aware of every expectation the audience brings into the room.
What unfolds across 93 minutes is a slow-burn character study wrapped in the trappings of a thriller. Stott doesn't waste time on exposition dumps or montages of societal collapse; she trusts the audience to understand that the world has already ended, and what matters now is what two people do when they're trapped together in a cabin with dwindling supplies and even dwindling trust. The horror elements are there, but they're subordinate to the psychological tension brewing between Rory and this stranger. It's a bet on patience, on nuance, on the idea that what scares us most isn't always what jumps out of the darkness.
Behind the making of Forgive Us All
Forgive Us All is a product of New Zealand's independent film ecosystem, produced by Five Films and Stiles Pictures with financing from Lance Giles and Jared Connon. Director Jordana Stott brought her own vision to the screenplay, crafting a film that sits at the intersection of Western, horror, thriller, and action — a tonal cocktail that could easily curdle in less confident hands. The casting is where the film's ambitions become clear. Lily Sullivan, known for her work in Australian television and film, carries the emotional weight of Rory's grief and paranoia. Callan Mulvey and Richard Roxburgh round out the ensemble, bringing the kind of gravitas that suggests this isn't a B-movie exercise but a genuine artistic statement.
The film premiered in New Zealand and Australia through Rialto Distribution on May 8, 2025, and quickly caught the attention of international distributors. By mid-February 2025, British company REASON8 had acquired global distribution rights, signaling confidence in the project's appeal beyond its domestic market. That's a meaningful vote of confidence for an indie horror film in an era when genre pictures are often greenlit by algorithms rather than conviction. The production values on display — the cinematography of the New Zealand wilderness, the sound design that makes every creak and whisper feel loaded with menace — suggest a team that understood they were working with limited resources but unlimited creativity.
What makes Forgive Us All stand out
Here's what's striking about Forgive Us All: it refuses to be a straightforward zombie film masquerading as something else. Yes, there are infected cannibals. Yes, there are moments of genuine visceral horror. But the film's real engine is psychological, and it's asking harder questions than "can they survive until dawn?" It's asking whether redemption is possible in a world that's fundamentally broken, whether forgiveness makes sense when the person you're forgiving might be something other than human. The tagline — "Redemption in a world gone dark" — isn't marketing fluff; it's the actual thematic spine.
Lily Sullivan's performance is the anchor that makes this work. She inhabits Rory's grief with a specificity that could've easily tipped into melodrama in less careful hands. There's a scene early on where she's examining supplies in the cabin, and you can read her entire internal calculus — how long she can last, whether it's worth lasting — without a single line of dialogue. Callan Mulvey, as the stranger, brings an unsettling charisma that keeps you guessing about his intentions right up to the final act. The tension between them isn't just about survival; it's about whether two damaged people can coexist, let alone trust each other. What's remarkable is that Stott sustains this psychological pressure without ever letting the film become a chamber piece. The wilderness itself becomes a character — beautiful, indifferent, and absolutely lethal.
The IMDb rating of 5.042/10 suggests this isn't a film that's going to appeal to everyone, and that's honestly refreshing. It means Stott made choices, took risks, and didn't sand down the rough edges to court a broader audience. That kind of artistic conviction is increasingly rare in genre cinema.
Where to stream Forgive Us All online
Forgive Us All is currently available on major OTT services, making it accessible to viewers across multiple platforms. Rather than hunting through a dozen different sites to figure out where to watch, you can check the Where to Watch widget at the top of this page — it'll show you exactly which service has it in your region right now. Streaming availability changes frequently, so Movie OTT keeps that information current so you don't have to. The film's distribution through REASON8 internationally means it's rolled out across the major platforms in most territories, though availability does vary by country and subscription tier.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed Forgive Us All?
Jordana Stott directed and wrote the film. It's her vision throughout — the screenplay, the pacing, the tonal choices all bear her fingerprints, which is rare enough in genre cinema that it's worth noting.
Q: Is Forgive Us All based on a true story?
No, it's an original screenplay written by Stott. While it uses the post-apocalyptic and zombie-adjacent premise as a framework, the story of Rory and the stranger is entirely fictional.
Q: What's the runtime of Forgive Us All?
The film runs 93 minutes, which is lean for a character-driven thriller. Stott doesn't waste time, and that tightness works in the film's favor.
Q: Where was Forgive Us All filmed?
The film was shot in New Zealand, with much of the action centered around an isolated mountain cabin. The landscape itself becomes integral to the atmosphere and mood.
Q: When was Forgive Us All released?
It premiered in New Zealand and Australia on May 8, 2025, through Rialto Distribution. International distribution rights were acquired by REASON8 in February 2025, with rollout continuing across streaming platforms.
Final thoughts on Forgive Us All
Forgive Us All isn't a comfortable watch, and that's precisely why it matters. It's a film that trusts its audience to sit with ambiguity, to resist easy answers, and to find horror not in jump scares but in the slow erosion of certainty. If you're looking for a post-apocalyptic action romp, this isn't it. If you want a character-driven thriller that uses genre conventions to explore grief, trust, and the possibility of redemption in a broken world — well, that's exactly what you're getting. It's the kind of film that lingers, that makes you think twice about your assumptions, that proves independent cinema can still take real risks. Worth your time.
