Shot in saturated colour, Confessions is a stylish, compelling, multi-lay……ered film by Kamikaze Girls director Tetsuya Nakashinma based on Kanae Minato’s acclaimed national-bestseller Kokuhaku (Confessions).

Confessions has echoes of Kubrick’s Clockwork Orange, a thinking man’ film that tackles a murder mystery and a morality tale on the social issues of AIDs, bullying, overprotective or negligence in parenting and suicide and in Japanese society.

Actress Takako Matsu (K-20, Villon’s Wife) plays a dedicated teacher at a junior high school who’s young daughter is found murdered. Believing two of her own students are responsible, she decides to leave the school, but not before a final chilling confession to her class in which she informs them that she’s already enacted her plan for vengeance. A series of further confessions bring other incidents regarding students to light, leading up to a shocking plot twist.

Takako gives a chilling performance in her limited screen time as the teacher bent on revenge her daugher’s murder in her own way. The supporting class of teen brats is equally impressive, with the two murders and one of their moms stand out as we witness their life falling apart.

The series of confession vignettes keep us glued to the screen as the main characters - the teacher, the killers, the mom and the sympathizer - take turn to justify their action through their confession, culminated in a shocking finale that will leave you either disturbed and thinking for days to come.

Confessions is a beautifully crafted designer thriller, with hypnotic visuals underlined by a mersmerising score. Radiohead fans should be happy to know that Last Flowers is the movie’s title song.

Elven Ho