Confessions

Title: Confessions
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Dark Psychological Drama/Thriller
Starring: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Language: Japanese

A film that got critical acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival, and last years Japanese entry to the Oscars, we don't get far into the half hour long opening monologue before it's revealed that this isn't going to be one with a happy ending. The power of her words on the class she teaches as she unveils her decision to resign and the slow gradual dying down of the jovial atmosphere as she explains herself and the gravity of the situation begins to sink in; her young daughter of just four years old has died, and two members of her class are responsible. Told through a series of confessions, we learn of the pain she's endured in raising her child as a single mother and the pressures placed upon her to guide her young students, and as her revenge is revealed, the impact she has on the lives of those under her care responsible for her daughters death and their own plight slowly rise to the surface.

It would be easy to peg this as another revenge story; a Japanese offering to a traditionally Korean dominated genre, but whilst it certainly has this as a focal point for the plot, the real message isn't quite that simple. Rather it plays a difficult game of highlighting the growing problems of student/teacher relationships and the line they must tread; students now fully aware that their actions have little or no consequences until they come of age, as well as the issues of what their teachers must do for them – the cliché tale of a teacher saving a child from her plight, last seen in 'Precious,' turned on its head as this becomes the expectation of them – both do little but empower them and enable them to act free from repercussions, and here this is taken to its extreme logical conclusion: the ability to take life. This exploration of the value of life, and of death and the manner in which it affects different people is really what lies at this films core; the three all profoundly affected by the child's demise and reacting in the only way they can, even if innocent people get caught in the crossfire, and as we learn more of the characters motivation, come to understand the bitter humanity of it all.

Taken from the perspective of one, there are indeed evil students that deserve to be punished for their actions, but even this simple notion gets more complex when we dig a little deeper and understand the psychological difficulties laid in their path and the adult issues thrust upon them at an age where they are unable to cope. Every despicable action is a reaction to some previous event kept hidden from those around them as they disguise their true feelings, wearing a metaphorical mask to face the day, and this altogether human motivation gives the tragic tale far more weight than had they simply been portrayed as villainous. Picking a side thus suddenly becomes a more tricky decision; do we side with the teacher maliciously acting out her revenge? Or the murderous child desperate for the attention and approval or his mother?

At times the overbearing atmosphere begins to slowly grind on you, the idea of comic relief is not one that it seems this director really subscribes to, and with all the constant revelations that are uncovered it could have done with some small glimmer of hope to give you a breather before it drains your energy with its harrowing mood once again. The acting from the two youngsters with no past experience was staggering in how well they portrayed their complex characters and I can't imagine how much work must have gone in preparing them for this role, and Matsu, playing the role of the teacher, does nothing to hold the piece back. Even the relatively minor role of one of the students girlfriends, played by Hashimoto Ai, seems to have been given careful consideration not only from the actress portraying her but from the writers and direction in displaying a realistic character that once again feels perhaps a little all too close to the truth to not be worrying.

The soundtrack is beautifully worked with musicians from Boris to Radiohead all lending their touch to the proceedings, and is always perfectly suited like very few soundtracks are capable of being – comparisons to Clint Mansell's work with Aronofsky's “Requiem for a Dream” leap to mind – and the cinematography, whilst occasionally overusing slow motion effects and CGI, rarely fails to make its point. And yet, for all its good intentions, it does little to continue the train of independent thought. It hasn't left that mark on me that most great films do; that constant afterthought, questioning and pondering the information presented to me, mind still reeling from the revelation that I've just uncovered. Indeed, the message here, and there is a rather profound message here, doesn't feel like much of a revelation at all. The notion that there is an inner depravity of the human mind; our obsession with tragic events in the media and the focus on negativity over the good in the world and how all this affects the younger generation, but when everything is finished, this question that is posed has beyond all doubt already found its answer.