Confessions - Kokuhaku

Director - Tetsuya Nakashima
Year - 2010

The first thing that struck me whilst watching Confessions was how it differed from my expectations. I've been a fan of Nakashima's work for many years and have grown to respect and admire his style. Two of his greatest works, Kamikaze Girls and Memories of Matsuko, are both quirky comedies layered with human and social drama. Always colourful and full of bizarre and interesting characters, Nakashima's films could be instantly recognised. Until Confessions, that is.
Gone are the colourful settings, the light-hearted drama and odd-ball comedy. Confessions is a film about revenge. It's a dark and moody piece that deals with some of modern Japan's ever present social issues. Although its a detour from Nakashima's usual style he seems completely at home. One thing Nakashima does well is story and Confessions is no exception. The story unfolds beautifully, its fully realised and ends with one of the most brutally emotional set pieces in contemporary Japanese cinema.

The film opens with school teacher, Moriguchi played by Takako Matsu, addressing her unruly class about the news of her retirement. As she speaks it is apparent the students have absolutely no interest in listening to her. Instead their main concern is finishing their milk, chucking the cartons around the room, texting, shouting and basically acting like monkeys. Moriguchi has lost control of her class but there is a much more serious reason for her early retirement.
Moriguchi's four-year-old daughter was found dead in the school's swimming pool. The death was ruled as an accidental drowning, yet through pieces of evidence she gathers alone, Moriguchi discovers the death wasn't accidental. Furthermore, she knows exactly who the murders are. She reveals to her students that her daughter was murdered by two pupils in the class.
Enraged by the fact that even if she bought the two murders to justice their status as minors would protect them from any serious legal penalty.
She decides to take the matter into her own hands. Moriguchi calmly informs her students that she has mixed HIV-infected blood into the milk of the guilty pair. She goes onto to say that they will soon contract the disease and die a slow and agonising death. Horror, fear and revulsion rips through the class and it's not long before the paranoid students start turning on one another.

The story is told through a series of 'Confessions', each from a different characters view point. Its an extremely effective and complex narrative technique which leads to layered characterisations. As we shift backwards and forwards in time and revisit the same scenes through the eyes of a different character we learn there is more to the story then what was presented at the start. Revelations and motivations are unravelled and we're left wondering whose side we should really be on.  It's a fascinating journey and each 'Confession' will leave you shocked and eager for the next.

Confessions is a purposefully gloomy film. Rain is an ever present theme and the foreboding storm clouds grow thicker as the film progresses, lending a sense of impending doom, as if the clouds could burst at any minute. It creates a thick and claustrophobic atmosphere. The visual aesthetic perfectly mirrors the tone of the story. It's heavily stylised, not just through cinematography but also through visual effects. The camera will often delve into slow-motion at exactly the right moment, unnatural lighting will occur to emphasise a scene, montages are used wonderfully. The overall effect gives Confessions a dreamlike quality, nothing seems quite real and we find ourselves wondering what is true. It effectively helps put the viewer into the same mindset as the characters.

The soundtrack is brilliant. Each track has been carefully selected to mirror the images on screen. There is a wide variety of music used in the film, from internationally famous bands such as Radiohead to more obscure artists. Whether it's the screeching guitar-driven rock of Boris or the insanely poppy tunes of AKB48, rest assured, this soundtrack is one worth purchasing. It works just as well outside the film as it does in it.

Overall, Nakashima has outdone himself. He's proven that you can completely reinvent yourself before becoming repetitive and predictable. This truly is a remarkable film. Thought-provoking, emotional, super-cool and stylish. Confessions wont disappoint.