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As world summits and other meetings between influential politicians continue to make headlines, it seems like a fitting time for the release of the multilingual political drama, The Confessions (Le confessioni), the story of a monk caught in the middle of a summit that turns tragic.
The Confessions travels to a grand hotel in Germany, where the members of the G8 summit have come together to make decisions that affect the entire world. For some reason, the director of the International Monetary Fund, Daniel Rochè (Daniel Auteuil), invites an Italian monk, Roberto Salus (Toni Servillo), to attend—and, that night, Rochè asks the monk to hear his confession. The next morning, as the members prepare to set their latest plan into motion, they discover that Rochè is dead. And as the group tries to figure out how to handle his death, they also set out to discover what the monk knows about their deep, dark secrets.
The Confessions seems to be part mystery and part political drama—with messages about faith and compassion mixed in. But none of the different aspects of the story are especially compelling.
The mystery behind Rochè’s death doesn’t really seem like much of a mystery—so the real mystery here relates to how much the monk knows about what’s going on at the summit. Parts of Rochè’s meeting with the monk are revealed gradually, but even the revelations aren’t especially gripping. For the most part, he simply preaches about the corruption of the system.
Meanwhile, the political messages here are nothing new. It’s no surprise that many of the members of the group are heartless and dishonest—that they’re more concerned about money than about the lives of the people their decisions affect. They’re wheeling and dealing and playing with the livelihood of whole countries—all while enjoying luxuries that few can afford.
What plays out, then, is a tangle of meetings, affairs, and alliances between callous and corrupt characters. The only truly interesting character is the monk—and Servillo gives a solid, understated performance, too—but while his silence helps to build the tension and drama at the hotel, this one quiet character does little for an otherwise uninspired and unsurprising film.
The Confessions may tell it like it is, but it doesn’t offer anything new or captivating. There’s a little bit of mystery and a little bit of suspense—as well as a bunch of characters that audiences won’t really care about and drama that isn’t especially remarkable. If you want real political drama and suspense, you’ll probably find more in today’s news.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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