Rogue Cinema - The Confession (2006)

The Confession (2006) - By Timothy Martinez
Posted on Monday, January 01 @ Mountain Standard Time by Duane

Five people are invited to a party, but when upon arriving they learn that they are the only guests and that the host has yet to appear. They settle in to drink and mingle, and it is soon evident that they are all connected in some way. The person behind the party finally arrives and the group realizes that each one of them knew a recently murdered woman named Julie, as their mysterious host is her ex-boyfriend. More than that, he is the man that was recently acquitted of the crime of murdering her. He now lays a bombshell on those assembled: one of them is the real killer and he plans to expose that person before the night is over. What follows next is a twisting road to uncover the truth where accusations fly, lies are exposed and in desperation, each person does their best to make it through the night and escape the party with their life.

This movie has a really cool aspect to it. The entire film takes place in one house and most of the action occurs in a single room. This room is covered by several cameras, providing coverage of the proceedings from multiple angles. Since the film was shot in a single take – by no means an easy feat in itself, and conveying the feeling that the audience is attending a theatrical play – this means the entire narrative has been captured from each of these angles. In turn, this means that on the DVD, the viewer has the option of alternating between any camera at any time, making each time one watches the movie a completely new viewing experience. This approach has also been incorporated into the film’s story itself, as it is demonstrated that one character is wearing one of the cameras with the conclusion being that he set up the others as well. The footage captured during the evening’s events eventually finds its way to the courtroom, where it is used in a case against the true murderer.
The film starts off a little slow as each character arrives at the party and interacts with the other guests, but that’s necessary in order to properly set up the premise. This slower pace, coupled with often fuzzy black and white images, might turn some people off, but my advice is to stick with it. Once the search for the truth begins in earnest, the film takes a quick turn and pulls the viewer along on a wild ride that culminates in a violent showdown. To say any more might give things away, so suffice it to say that during the course of this film, every one of the guests will seem to have ample evidence stacked against them to implicate them as the killer. When the truth is revealed, you may or may not be surprised. I know I sure was. Additionally, kudos must be given to the cast for not only pulling off the entire film in one take, but much more importantly, for their believable performances and instilling each of their characters with his or her own unique personality. This is a credit to both their acting chops as well as the carefully planned and executed directing job by David Kebo and Rudi Liden. Definitely check this one out.

To learn more about the film, visit http://www.filmschoolinabox.net.