Plot
A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.
Release Year: 2010
Rating: 7.8/10 (8,118 voted)
Director:
Tetsuya Nakashima
Stars: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada
Storyline A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.
It's the kind of feeling all over again that makes it a delight to
relive moments of a film that's just so steeped with brilliance. It's
dark and it's disturbing, a psychological thriller to rival some of the
best out there, tackling themes of poetic justice and revenge that's
coolly served in perfect tones of subversion, grabbing you by the
scruff of your neck with its extended hook from the start and lasting
some thirty minutes, before things kick into full gear for a chilling,
violent ride that's unflinching in its violence, laced with strong
characters filled with perverted motivations all round.
Written and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima and based upon the novel by
Kanae Minato, the story's extremely hypnotic and sprawls points of
views from multiple characters, each weaved intrinsically with one
another and all being uncannily hypnotic in its stylish execution. The
hook wraps up everything you'd come to expect from a great thriller,
and that riveting introductory classroom scene alone is worth the price
of an admission ticket many times over, orchestrating its sound
contrast design to perfection where it seems a teacher is unable to
control her class, and is nonchalantly attempting to do so until a
bombshell is dropped to elicit an automatic silence, and fear.
Takako Matsue (of The Hidden Blade and Villon's Wife fame) plays a
schoolteacher whose young daughter was murdered by students identified
in her class. Rather than challenging the judge's verdict and knowing
jolly well that a juvenile is protected by the law against capital
punishment, the plan she devices is so devious that it turns the class
upside down turning classmates against the guilty, and yet still
hitting them where it hurts most, slowly observing and scheming any
exploited weaknesses. Probably the best strategy anyone can adopt when
dealing with unspeakable evil, and it is this execution of her plan
that forms the remainder of the film told from different perspectives
in confessional style (hence the title), where a deeper character study
gets presented, while smartly fusing social observations about the
restlessness of today's misguided teenagers in wanting recognition and
being one up against their peers.
Mothers seem to come into play, and the film provokes thought into this
aspect of human nature that's so universal. A mother loses her child,
another maintains her protective blindness fending provocative charges
against her son, while yet another proudly obsesses with wanting the
best from her kid that it becomes detrimental to his development. One
knows about the power of Mother's Love and the extent they will go to
protect their brood, and here the school teacher's severe loss becomes
the catalyst for revenge best served cold, while also becoming pawns in
a plan best unraveled when you watch the film.
Nakashima's assured direction keeps you glued to every gorgeous frame
thanks to its beautiful cinematography and shots that make it picture
perfect, supported by an excellent soundtrack to bolster the dark mood
created visually, and I just fell in love with the plenty of slow
motion used which brings a sense of calming rhythm that betrays the
dark undertones that were constantly brewing in the narrative. There
doesn't seem to be a wasted frame or scene in the film, each moving the
narrative forward in an engaging manner, keeping you guessing what's
the next curve ball to be thrown, and silently rooting for justice in
whatever form to be meted out, and on the other hand cannot help but to
check yourself since they're kids to begin with, albeit guilty ones
whom the teacher chooses a punishment that will resonate deeply
throughout their lives, which is obviously a very long road ahead.
The predominant cast of teenagers also performed their roles admirably
since one can imagine the kind of thought process they have to go
through to play characters who are basically mentally unsound for doing
what they did, and frankly these aren't things that are far fetched
given notable crimes committed by juveniles here too. The violence can
be unsettling here for those with weak stomachs, not so much whether
there's plenty of gore put on screen, but psychologically when you're
made to crawl under the perpetrators' skins seeing things from their
viewpoints.
Confessions lives up to every critical acclaim garnered thus far, and I
too love this film enough to put it firmly in my shortlist as the best
film of the year, where all the technical elements that make up
filmmaking gelled perfectly together with excellent performances all
round. A movie gorgeously filmed that justifies why I go to the movies.
A definite recommendation!
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