[; ]

Director:

Runtime:

Written by Raffi Asdourian, July 1, 2010 at 10:28 pm 

Over the past week I have seen some excellent films at the NYAFF, everything from epic kung-fu fighting in Ip Man 2 to psychedelic madness in Blood of Rebirth and heartfelt comedy with amazing Japanese freestyle rapping in 8000 Miles. But nothing could have prepared me for Confessions, easily the most brilliant and disturbing film I’ve seen all year. This film is like nothing you ever experienced, it’s a whirlwind of emotion wrapped in a tightly knit package of suspense, mystery and murder. That said, it’s also one of the more depressing films you’ll see, in that the subject matter its dealing with is the bizarre suicide culture that permeates in Japan, particularly in young teens. Director Tetsuya Nakashima (Kamikaze Girls, Memories of Matsuko) uses interesting visceral cinematic techniques that will leave you dazzled and distraught by the sheer escalation of a simple day in a school classroom.

Based on a popular novel by Kanae Minato, Confessions centers on a middle school teacher Yoko Moriguchi’s (played devilishly by Takako Matsu) and her quest for revenge after the murder of her 4 year old daughter. After linking some of her own students to the bizarre circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death, she returns to the classroom to deliver a message. While the students in her class laugh off her stories initially, they become hypnotized by the devastation in her words. Recognizing two potential culprits, Moriguchi executes an elaborate plan for revenge by adding HIV tainted blood in the students milk. Without wanting to reveal much else than that, the film proceeds to dive into the realm of the dark, descending into a maddening world of obsessions, retribution and revenge. The plot twists and level of psychological manipulation will leave you exiting the theater with your jaw dropped.

Confessions is quite simply a cinematic masterpiece. With echoes of filmmakers like Gaspar Noe and Lars Von Trier but executed with a Kubrickian attention to symmetry and suspense, Nakashima is firmly stating his case as a filmmaker to watch. The speed at which some of the imagery hits you is like a Darren Aronosfky quick five shot edit, but the impact of the subject with these actors is so much more resonant. Speaking of which, let’s not forget the amazing ensemble cast of young Japanese actors who ultimately steal the show from Matsu’s cold as ice teacher with their riveting performances as existential youth gone wrong. Put all these elements together and you have one hell of a film.

Confessions is this year’s Oldboy, making the Korean revenge thriller look like child’s play compared to the final blow Moriguchi deals to her daughter’s killers. It’s super stylized and visually like nothing else you’ll see in theaters this year. In addition to the elegant and spooky mood of the film, the soundtrack is equally as powerful using Radiohead’s Last Flowers as an overture for the film. Everything in this film feels so right, while fulfilling a deep sense of disturbia that will leave you shaking after the end credits roll. So while maybe being a little too dark and depressing for some audience goers, Confessions is sure to challenge your expectations of the kind of raw emotion Asian cinema is capable of. Don’t believe me? Watch the trailer and tell me you don’t want to see this film.

10 out of 10.

What did you think of Confessions?

Confessions is screening at the Japan Society on July 1st at 9PM and July 4th at 2PM. Buy tickets here.