Kokuhaku (2010)

A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.

Director:

Tetsuya Nakashima

Writers:

Kanae Minato (based on the novel by), Tetsuya Nakashima (screenplay)

Stars:

Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada

8 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Takako Matsu	...	Yuko Moriguchi
Yoshino Kimura	...	Yuko Shimomura (Naoki's mother)
Masaki Okada	...	Yoshiteru Terada
Yukito Nishii	...	Shuya Watanabe
Kaoru Fujiwara	...	Naoki Shimomura
Ai Hashimoto	...	Mizuki Kitahara
Hirofumi Arai	...	Shuya's Father
Makiya Yamaguchi	...	Masayoshi Sakuranomiya
Ikuyo Kuroda	...	Shuya's Mother
Mana Ashida	...	Manami Moriguchi (Yuko's Daughter)
Soichiro Suzuki	...	Professor Seguchi
Kinuo Yamada	...	Miyuko
Hiroko Ninomiya
Tsutomu Takahashi	...	Mr. Tokura
Yûta Kanai	...	College Pupil

Storyline

A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.

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Plot Keywords:

japanese schoolgirl | japanese high school girl | miniskirt | mini skirt | tube sock | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

5 June 2010 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Confessions

Filming Locations:

Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

DesperaDo, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Licri

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The 7th highest grossing film in Japan in 2010.

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Goofs

At the 1:24:49 mark, when Yuko is crying on her knees in the street, a distance shot shows her getting up. Almost immediately, just 2 seconds later, we are shown a close-up of her suddenly back down on the ground. Then 6 seconds later, we see a distant view with the same shot of her getting up again.

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Quotes

Yuko Moriguchi: I don't know how effective milk will be on thirteen year-old bodies and minds, but I'm sure we'll see some changes in you come the March health checkups.

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Soundtracks

Last Flowers
Performed by Radiohead
Written by Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien,
Colin Greenwood, Phil Selway

User Reviews

Rivals Park Chan Wook's trilogy for greatest revenge movie

CONFESSIONS is one of the most savage, brutal and poignant revenge stories I have ever seen. It doesn't start off all that great, but it by the end I was in awe. The movie begins in a Japanese classroom on the final day of classes before the spring break and the remainder of the movie are the events that follow the fateful day in this classroom.

The point of view switches numerous times throughout to different people affected by the event in the beginning. As the movie progresses you revisit past scenes from different character's perspectives but the scenes are never monotonous because you know much more the second time around. Much like an onion, CONFESSIONS is multi-faceted and there is much to discover and re-discover as each subsequent layer is peeled back.

A beautiful thing about this movie, at least for me, is how wildly my sympathy flip-flopped. Don't take sides too adamantly because as you learn more and more about the characters and events of the movie your sympathy too is bound to jump ship to the point where you're not totally sure who to side with. CONFESSIONS challenges you in this way. Some may find it frustrating but it just added to CONFESSIONS's charm and wit.

Unrelentingly dark, this movie is bound to incite feelings of bleakness and perhaps is not suited to those with a weak heart. The subject matter is heavy, the characters are morally-reprehensible and the feel of the movie is wholly somber – from the greys and dull blues which saturate each and every scene to the melancholy (albeit perfectly-suited) soundtrack which works its way infectiously into your mind and makes the horrific scenes before your eyes resonate deeply.

I will not spiel on for much longer, but in closing; the acting is top-notch; the storytelling is captivating; the cinematography is gorgeous; and the touches of violence and blood are done in taste and to immense effect – never feeling gratuitous.

I have seen many Japanese films but this one takes the cake as one of the best I have ever seen. If what I've said so far sounds convincing enough definitely give this movie a shot because I am rather hard to please and it did not let me down an ounce.