The Confessional (1995)
Pierre Lamontagne has returned to Quebec to attend his father's funeral. He meets up with his adopted brother, Marc, who has begun questioning his identity and has embarked on a quest for his roots that would lead them to the Quebec of the 1950s. Past and present converge in a complex web of intrigue where the answer to the mystery lies.
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the audience applauded
Simply Perfect
Redundant and unnecessary.
Just perfect...
The trendy camera work (that in fact uses good old recipes, i.e. no creativity involved whatsoever) can't make up for the shallow characters, the overall bad acting and the story line that is as boring as the script. Some scene are in fact so badly directed that they end up being somewhat comical (check the scene when the police is coming around the swimming pool. Could have been a Charli Chaplin flick). The sad thing is that Hitchcok is called upon to try to give some height to the scenario. To no avail. It just does not work. If you liked the "Déclin de l'Empire américain", you will probably enjoy it though. Same kind of crap. With the typical Quebecois theatrical repertoire of "Chris", "Tabarnac" and "Ostie" trumpeted by uninspired and uninspiring actors who won't make you believe one second they could actually exist. If this is considered the best of the Quebecois cinéma, this is pretty bad news for the "7e art" in this part of the World.
Visually, this is one of the best films ever made. There are 3 elements, one in 1952 Quebec, one in 1989 Quebec and one actually from Alfred Hitchcocks "I Confess", of which this movie seems to be a realy loose remake of.The way the film moves seamlessly between 1952 and 1989, and the odd dreamlike sequences that occur a couple of times, and the continous sequence of brilliant images is the best things of the film. The plot, however, does take a bit of a back seat,although the ending is excellent, and the Kristen Scott Thomas character is unneccesary.
Robert LePage is, in my opinion, a film-making genius. "Le Confessionel" has some of the best photography I have ever seen on film. The plot, the characters, the pacing, and the editing all come together perfectly to make a compelling and visually stunning film. I know Mr. Lepage has done a lot of work in the theater, as well as acting in film (e.g. "Jesus of Montreal"). He is multi-talented and truly gifted.
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.