Confession (告白, Kokuhaku)
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima
Official website (Japanese): http://kokuhaku-shimasu.jp/index.html
About a month ago hubby Bon found out about a free preview of the Japanese movie "Confession" by Tetsuya Nakashima at a local uni's film department. Not knowing what the story about and since the film starred the famous Takako Matsu (from Japanese series "Love Generation" and "Hero") as the leading actress, I had assumed that the movie would be a romantic drama where two beautiful people meet and confess their love for each other.
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| Takako as the teacher giving the students the lecture of their lives! (image from http://www.chinapost.com.tw) |
How wrong was I !?!! (>.<;) The story was about a junior high school teacher's (played by Takako) revenge against the select students in her class, who she believed, had murdered her daughter (played by the really talented child star Mana Ashida, who also starred in the Japanese drama "Mother"). The film is portrayed through the various characters' viewpoints as they "confess" their thoughts to the audience. I was totally shocked by the movie! It was chilling, psychotic and in many scenes outright disturbing. However, from the cinematography point of view it was shot beautifully and the story presented elegantly. The pace was rapid and engaging keeping the audience on the edge of the seat.
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| Takako in front of her students (image from asianmediawiki.com) |
Despite the dark backdrop, the films also had it's (relatively) light hearted moments which contrasted dramatically to the rest of the film. For example the scene where the passionate newbie teacher (played by Masaki Okada) that took over Takako's class gets the class dancing (and having fun!?) to "That's the way I like it" (by KC and the Sunshine band).
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The movie is actually based on the 2008 best-selling novel by Kanae Minato and the movie was also selected to represent Japan at the 83rd Academy Awards under the Best Foreign Language Film category. I highly recommend "Confessions" (if you're not too put off by scary movies)!! X3
Here's a trailer with English sub-titles
Wow, sounds like a very good movie! but I am soo afraid of 'dark' movies. Is it scary like horror? or scary-suspense? (Although, suspense kills me as well lol! My husband studied cinematography and loves all movies.. I will suggest this one. I hope it is subtitled in English 'cause I know a peep of Japanese! lol
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a very dark themed movie.. :(
ReplyDeletelike in really bloody and psychologically twisted in some places... (>.<;) every time the story progresses to the next narrative i'm like shocked at how the story unfolds! So it's like "ooOOO~ I wanna find out what happens" but then to get there, there's a lot of blood and ugh! (filmed very artistically tho...) the one i watched had subtitles~ we went to USC to see this preview.... I heard there are Japanese cinemas around too~ I'm not sure where and when they'd show this though~ :(
Bloody is fine lol I see all CSI's so I am used to.. I will keep an eye open to see where I can watch it! I will have some Valium on hand! hahaha Thanks for the explanation :)
ReplyDeletehaha~ I guess so~ keep the Valium handy~ ;)
ReplyDelete