The Confessional (1995)

Strange, gray and power. Chain of stories. Puzzle in cruel colors. A mother. Twoo priests. A movie. A great director. A taxi driver. Twoo brothers. A hotel. And a sick boy. Slices of universes and feeling of a rain circle. A museum with very old objects. A labyrinth with a lot of mirrors. A flavor of lost carnations. A piano song in a very deep room. The story is not very important. The point are emotions. Searches. Slices of hope. And the warm expectation. A film in which the spectator is part. Not another actor but a small bone of show. A show who exists in himself. So, it is not possible to be the outsider. Beautiful in a form without words,"Le confessional" is a interesting lesson about appearances and masks. About the cruelty of past and the red of present. About run and the Japanese refuge. About the death like huge shadow and the truth as oil drop.

Robert Lepage, an actor and writer turned director, whose previous work showed great promise, has done wonders in this uneven, but interesting take on the life of two brothers in Quebec City, where he sets this multi layered story.The film mixes eras, as the original story dates back to the 50s when a young woman, of a working class and devout Catholic family, finds herself pregnant under the most mysterious circumstances. Although our suspicions point in one direction, nothing is completely black and white.The story concludes in the 80s as Pierre, who had been away in China, returns home to attend his father's funeral. Pierre's brother, Marc, never comes. Pierre finds out, to his horror, about Marc's secret life and meets the man who holds the key to the mystery at the hotel where he is working. Raymond Massicotte, knows more than he wants to tell.The other element in the film is a vignette about Alfred Hitchcock. The director had gone to scout locations and do local casting for his own "I Confess", which in a way, parallels the action of this movie. This part is not completely as interesting, and it's somehow distracting from the other narratives.Lothaire Blutheau, one of the best Canadian actors, whose work we have admired for a long time, is seen as Pierre, in a great performance. Pierre Goyette plays Marc with sincerity and high intensity. Jean-Louis Millette has some excellent moments as Raymond Massicotte. Kristin Scott Thomas is seen as Hitchcock's assistant.Robert Lepage directed with an eye for detail in this involving drama. The film is worth viewing because it shows Mr. Lepage in great form. Sacha Puttman's background music plays well with the action. Alain Dostie's cinematography captures all the darkness in the story.

I caught this film on a movie channel on television today. Although I didn't know anything about it I was drawn into the story and couldn't stop watching it. The film has very pretty scenes with outstanding cinematography and framing of the characters. Great angles and editing. Wonderful symbolism. The pieces of the puzzle keep appearing but the puzzle isn't solved until the final moments. The movie kept me in suspense the entire 2 hours. Bravo! Oustanding acting and use of colors. The acting was very good and although I hadn't heard about this film previously I expect to pass it on. If you life foreign films and movies that make you think you'll enjoy this movie tremendously.

A complicated family past haunts two brothers in search of the truth. Via flashbacks we meet the family in turmoil, coincided with the making of Alfred Hitchcock's I CONFESS. With the creative use of past and present interweaved, we slowly find the truth that has been sitting under our noses at all times. Very clever and a very effective piece of cinema story telling.