Confessions (Kokuhaku)

Directed by         :        Tetsuya Nakashima

Awards               :        Jury Choice, 14^th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival

                                    TV Taro Award (Best Film), Elan D'or Award

                                    Best Picture, 53^rd Blue Ribbon Awards

                                    Best Supporting Actress, 53^rd Blue Ribbon Awards

                                    Picture of the Year, 34^th Japan Academy Prize

Director of the Year, 34^th Japan Academy Prize

Screenplay of the Year, 34^th Japan Academy Prize

Best in Film Editing, 34^th Japan Academy Prize

Best Asian Film, 30th Hong Kong Film Awards

Black Dragon Audience Award, 13^th Udine Far East Film

My Movies Audience Award, 13^th Udine Far East Film

Best Picture, 2nd Theater Staff Film Festival

Best Leading Actress, 2nd Theater Staff Film Festival

Confessions is the second of the three films I have watched on this year's Eiga Sai at Shangri-La Cinemaplex. This film is Japan's official entry to the 83^rd Academy Awards, and was shortlisted for Best Foreign Language Film.
Click on this link for the screening schedules of Eiga Sai.

[Spoiler Alert]

Plot

Yuko Moriguchi announces to her class that she’s leaving her job when the semester ends as she is still struggling to cope with the death of her 4-year old daughter. She goes on to say that before finally leaving, she would like to talk to them about something important: LIFE. Yuko then confesses that she believes that her daughter did not die from an accident, but was murdered; and that the two responsible for her death are among them. She said that she has no plans of refuting the findings of the police, because even if she does so, being minors, they are protected by the Juvenile Law of 1947. That means, they will escape punishment she believes they so deserve. And so, to teach them a lesson on the importance of life, she confesses to having injected her late husband’s HIV-contaminated blood in the milk cartons they were asked to drink. That’s when she finally got the attention of the whole class.

The Movie

The movie is dark with themes of murder, revenge, manipulation and bullying, made more complicated by the psychological complexes of the characters. The 30-minute monologue of Yuko Moriguchi carefully laid the backdrop of the whole story, while the ensuing confessions from four other characters lend the details to the otherwise cold murder of a young girl. These confessions bring us closer to each of the victims and criminals, toying with our emotions of loathing and sympathy.

Feedback

There was never a moment I would like to take a break from watching. Yuko surely got my sympathy from her daughter’s death, but I hardly agree with her revenge and manipulation. Students A and B on the other hand earned my revulsion, but in the end felt pity for them. While they were represented as cold-blooded murderers and retaliator, there were parts of the film that show their humane side. These small parts were the ones that mattered most in making us realize that all these kids are somehow victims of adults caught up in the modern world of information. It is our actions that influence theirs, and it is our behavior towards them that form theirs. Truly, this is one of the films that will be hard to forget.