THE CONFESSION

US, 2011, 63 minutes, Colour.
Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt, Michael Badalucco.
Directed by Brad Mirmin.

The Confession runs for only 63 minutes and is divided into 10 chapters. It was written and directed by Brad Mirman, who also wrote the screenplay for the 2004 film with Christian Slater, The Good Shepherd/ The Confessor.

The film is two hander, mainly set in a confessional, with Kiefer Sutherland as a professional hitman and John Hurt as the priest. The hitman does not want to confess but to talk about his life, trying to understand himself and his career and moral choices. He seems to want to have the priest as a sounding-board. At first, the priest said says the expected things about sin, good and evil, confessing, repentance, absolution.

The drama develops with flashbacks to a variety of cases where the hitman has killed, the priest asking whether he had any compassion, and something emerging.

Much of the dialogue is concerned with God, the gift of free will, human choices, living according to God’s law, God’s not intervening… This is made more interesting within the context of the drama and the interchanges. The killer challenges the priest and wants him to witness a murder so that he can understand.

Around the middle of the film, the audience will realise that the killer is the priest’s son, and the priest has to do a great deal of confessing himself, his past life where he has been responsible for the death of his wife as well as the brutalising of his son. It is clear that the son has come to kill his father while trying to understand himself and his life. With the seal of confession, the priest will be unable to reveal anything and will have to live in fear of his life – just as the son says he lived in fear of his father.

With its brief running time, the film provides a visual and aural opportunity to discuss the problems of evil and moral conscience.

1. The impact of the film, performances, drama, moral dilemmas, philosophical and theological explorations?

2. The brevity of the film, the two hander, the scenes in the confessional, in the church, ranging over the stained glass windows, statues? The scenes outside, the locations for the killings, the business office, the dark room, homes? The musical score?

3. The title, the focus on the confessional, the priest and his traditional role, hearing confessions, the penitent coming, 35 years, not wanting to confess sins, wanting to understand himself, confronting the priest, the priest’s own confession?

4. The strength of the performances, the range of emotions?

5. The theological discussions, the nature of the confessional, confessing sins, the killer wanting to understand himself, get a response from the priest, raise questions of God, the permitting of evil, human free will, the choices of evil, a person’s character and behaviour formed by their traumatic past? The nature of absolution, forgiveness, possibilities and forgiveness? Horror at listening to stories of murder? The seeking of compassion? The killer and his relating the stories, the quiet intensity, the challenge to the priest, the plan for a killing that night? when did the audience realise that he was the priest’s son? The flashbacks of his story, his hand, the burns, the confronting of the priest? The priest having to delve into his own past and confess?

6. The story of the killer, as a young boy, the brutality of his alcoholic father, the sadistic beatings, being locked up? His mother, the domestic violence, her desperation, her husband insulting, physically abusing her, going to the window, his taunting her to jump, the little boy coming in and seeing this, her jumping? The shock to the father? His abandoning his son? The boy in foster care, sexual abuse, a paedophile ring? His being drawn, emotionally and impassively into being hit man? The boss and the hit list? Matter is neither good nor bad, just jobs?

7. The flashbacks to the killings, the first, the gangster, his being afraid, asserting his authority, the junkie with the killer, the junkie unable to shoot, the killer shooting, then shooting the junkie? The visit to the home, the African- American man, no explanation of why he was to be killed, his boy coming down the stairs, his concern for his son? The effect on the killer, giving him the gun, asking whether he was willing to do everything, the man getting a promise from the killer, no bullets in the gun? His not being killed, but urged to go far away with his wife and child? The corrupt businessman, the embezzlement, his associate, thug, his being shot? The killer forcing the businessman to refund all the money? The businessman asking whether he was going to kill him? Saying that he was already dead? The killing in the corridor, hearing the shot?

8. The cumulative effect of hearing the stories? The planned killing for the evening?

9. The priest, age, experience, small parish, hearing confessions, friendly parishioners? The routine of the confession? His saying that he hadn’t experienced any of the kinds of killings described, nor this kind of confession, no preparation even in the seminary? His asking about compassion, hearing the story of the African- American man? Saying that he would never understand like the killer? Taught about whether the priest had ever heard all harmed someone? Otherwise you would be a saint?

10. The issue of power and control, killer liking control? The priest saying that he saw a boy making people afraid to get attention, even with the gun? Asking
whether you is an only child and was getting revenge for what people are done to him?

11. The killer wanting the priest to witness a killing that evening? The priest unwilling?

12. The killer continually raising the issue of God, not believing in God, seeing God as harsh, setting up life’s agendas, not intervening? Blaming God? The priest saying that all had to live according to God’s laws? The killer saying that God had a bigger hit list that he did? Less concerned about evil when it does not touch people? So, how can ridding the world of evil people be wrong? People who cause suffering and don’t care? The priest and the reply about free will, the gift of God, but God not intervening when bad choices were made? The nature of choice? The question of why people can’t control the darkness in their hearts?

13. The killer challenging the priest, why has become a priest, his motives? The bad that he had done in his life, the priest and listening to the story of the killer, the flashback, the burn in his hand? The priest and his fear? His confessing? That he was a man filled with anger? Claiming that he had changed? Expressing his sorrow?

14. The killer explaining the chance encounter with his father, noticing the collar, coming back, waiting for him?

15. The killer, the seal of confession, not killing him that night but any day, and the priest living in fear? Son living in fear of his father in the past, now the father living in fear of his son? The killer taunting his father about his faith, his doubts, his fidelity in living his priesthood or not? The father’s moment of sorrow not making up for fears of a lifetime? The son wanting his father to live a life time with the guilt of making his son who was?

16. On the one hand, a dissertation about good and evil, on the other, psychological two-handed drama?