Simply A Masterpiece

Just perfect...

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Strange, gray and power. Chain of stories. Puzzle in cruel colors. A mother. Twoo priests. A movie. A great director. A taxi driver. Twoo brothers. A hotel. And a sick boy. Slices of universes and feeling of a rain circle. A museum with very old objects. A labyrinth with a lot of mirrors. A flavor of lost carnations. A piano song in a very deep room. The story is not very important. The point are emotions. Searches. Slices of hope. And the warm expectation. A film in which the spectator is part. Not another actor but a small bone of show. A show who exists in himself. So, it is not possible to be the outsider. Beautiful in a form without words,"Le confessional" is a interesting lesson about appearances and masks. About the cruelty of past and the red of present. About run and the Japanese refuge. About the death like huge shadow and the truth as oil drop.

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.

I work in a video store, and when people ask me if I know a great movie, I am inclined to recommend Le Confessional. This film has got it all: drama, comedy, sex and mystery. Lepage has written an amazing screenplay, which is greatly compelling for the viewer. As a film student, I was also very appealed by the visual aesthetics of Le Confessional. Lepage has used a lot of color symbolism, which is truly eye candy. On the downside, the story is at times confusing, namely because of the two different time frames, but hey, it's Canadian. Overall, I highly appreciated this film and I think you should see it.

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.