Confession (2005/I)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Jonathan Meyers

Writers:

Jonathan Meyers (writer)
Daniel Wright (additional writer)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Forgive me, Father, for I have I have sinned.

Plot:

In a small Catholic boarding school an unspeakable act has been committed. When High School student...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Catholic | Melodrama | Sin | Flashback Sequence

Cast

Chris Pine	...	Luther Scott
Cameron Daddo	...	Father Michael Kelly
Bruce Davison	...	Father Thomas Parker
Tom Bosley	...	Father Abbot Sutton
Peter Greene	...	Detective William Fletcher
Lukas Behnken	...	Robbie Willingham
Adam Bussell	...	David Bennet
Robert Pine	...	Senator Givens
Janet Carroll	...	Mother Superior
Kate Vernon	...	Detective Robin Mallory
Evan Ellingson	...	Benjamin Givens
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Benjamin Anderson	...	Derek Lee
Ryan Cheo	...	Ryan
Noel Conlon	...	Father Justin
Ben Donovan	...	Jacob
Liam Dunaway O'Neill	...	Medic
Nick Fowler	...	Frank Kelly
David Patrick Green	...	Father Nicholas (as David Green)
Daniel Gutierrez	...	Jerry
Brandan Halpin	...	Jake
Ramon Hilario	...	Mr. Rios
Alix Holleschau	...	Altar Boy
Randy Holleschau	...	Clyde
Daniel Kountz	...	Malachi
Lizzy Lahive	...	Sarah Givens
Kathy Lamkin	...	Marie
Joe Marsella	...	Arresting Officer
Christian McGuigan	...	Vince
Fred Meyers	...	Matt
Michael Joseph Meyers	...	Young Michael Kelly
Branden R. Morgan	...	Riley
Wiley M. Pickett	...	Dean Kelly
Bob Rumnock	...	Father Jordan
Craig Shoemaker	...	Father Charles
Josh Skinner	...	Ricky
Conner Sorensen	...	Tim Kelly
Stephen Sowan	...	Joseph
Travis Van Winkle	...	Scott
Mark Wallace	...	Victor
Nikki Winston	...	Jaimee
Danny Yarbrough	...	Danny

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Brazil:18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Crazy Dreams Entertainment

Trivia:

There is a scene where Luther is arguing with his roommate and he uses perfect Latin (which is not subtitled). Later in the film, when Luther again uses Latin with Fr. Kelly (this time subtitled), the director disclosed he did not have the time to translate the dialogue, as the scene was improvised on set. Therefore, the actual subtitled Latin that Luther speaks in the second scene is gibberish.

Movie Connections:

References Swingers (1996)

Within the Sanctity of the Confessional Murder can be Secret

Jonathan Myers makes an impressive film debut as writer/director of CONFESSION, a very well done film that unfortunately went direct to DVD. Though the script is at times a bit clumsy and the control over the arch of emotion from the actors could be tighter, the film succeeds as a thriller, beautifully capturing the mysteries of the Catholic traditions.

In a private, expensive Catholic Prep School Luther Scott (Chris Pine) is a business minded renegade, supplying the student body with booze, porn movies, and other off limits paraphernalia. His hesitant roommate Robbie (Lukas Behnken) assists him but on a turnkey night their partying dorm is visited by the headmaster Father Thomas Parker (Bruce Davison) with a potential rich Senator's student son: the party is over. The boys are all subjected to questioning as to the source of the contraband and one student informs on Luther and Robbie and in a fit of anger Luther pushes the student to his death while disguised/dressed as a priest. Luther makes Robbie promise to keep their secret and Luther 'absolves' himself in the confessional where he admits his murderous act to the kind Father Michael Kelly (Cameron Daddo). Obeying the rules that words said in confessional must remain secret, Father Kelly becomes suspect as the perpetrator and elects to remain silent. The manner in which Luther and Robbie cope with the arrest of an innocent man and the resolution of the crime provide the exciting if a bit predictable conclusion to the story.

The cast is variable but generally fine, especially Australian actor Cameron Daddo and young Chris Pine, allowing us to understand the rites of the Church without condescension. The cinematography is moodily atmospheric and the musical score by Ryan Shore admixes ecclesiastic tones with contemporary mood music. Given that this is a first film for Myers it is one worth examining for the potential it carries. Grady Harp