Between The Da Vinci Code and the upcoming vampire sci-fi The Priest, Catholics know that how the faith is portrayed matters more than the mere number of Roman collars in a film.
So how Catholic is Oscar nominee The Confession?
I think Pope Benedict gave us a good guide for evaluating The Confession last year:
“Even though it is necessary to speak out strongly against the evils that threaten us, we must correct the idea that Catholicism is merely ‘a collection of prohibitions.’ Sound catechesis and careful ‘formation of the heart’ are needed here.”
With that in mind, here's my take:
Sacramental accuracy: A-
For the most part, The Confession keeps true to the ritual of confession, and additionally expresses—albeit morosely alla Baltimore Catechism—facts like God’s omniscience and the need to confess all your sins.
But beyond ritual accuracy, The Confession’s brings to life the reality experienced by millions of Catholics: confession as a powerful and desirable answer to our need for forgiveness and healing. And poignantly, the priest's role in confession is made more profound, precisely because those who are wronged are unable to forgive.
This alone sets it leagues above the last short film by the same name, The Confession (2008) by Thomas Hefferon; in that film, the priest takes names and even banns a boy from attending Mass—merely as penance. (Just a few problems there).
At times, however, artistic license does obscure accuracy by not telling “the whole truth.” Some doubts and half-truths expressed by the boys are not corrected. E.g. their fear that the priest would tell their sins. (FYI: breaking the seal of confession by a priest is one of the few sins that can only be forgiven by the Holy See.)
Unfortunately, too, the boys’ catechesis leans more on “fear of God” than on “love of God.” As a consequence, it risks simply rehashing the stereotype of “fire-and-brimstone” Christianity.
Meaning of the Confession Scene: B+
When Sam’s first confession finally arrives, Toom nails a difficult combination: the fear of confessing, and the enormous desire for reconciliation.
Of course, some reviewers only see it as “the early onset of Catholic guilt.” But aside from the Catholic lingo, there is nothing specifically “Catholic” about the remorse the boys feel. Few adults—Catholic or not—would feel guilt-free if they caused the death of a young family or or of a friend.
The difference is that Catholics have a place to take this, and be healed after spiritual injury. Toom gets the audience begging for it to come.
Plot and Believability: B
To put it mildly—the initial premise of the movie is preposterous.
I doubt any child approaching first confession plans to sin, just to have something worthy of confessing—even though one reviewer left "with questions about what faith can lead people to do.”
But that "preposterous" beginning only makes the rest of the movie stronger.
It’s a movie about technically reaching “the age of reason”— when a child is considered able to make first confession and first communion—but still struggling with making reasonable decisions about right and wrong.
What is believable—and riveting—is the boys’ actions after the prank morphs into tragedy and coverup.
The Take Away: B+
Don't expect The Bells of St. Mary's. But if you want something thoughtful, go see it.
Judging by his other movie, "The Second Coming" (2008), director Toom likes to examine flawed, or irrational faith. The Confession both appreciates Catholicism (its sacraments, faith, and symbolism), and also challenges Catholics.
Because, in the end, the real tragedy doesn’t come from “Catholic guilt” or what Catholics do.
In the end, the boys’ fears and decisions come from something much more damning: silence, and what the Catholics in the film don’t do.
It about a story of two young consciences, undergoing a type of moral bootcamp. Without good training, they jeopardize their sanity, their lives, and their souls in the process.
This is what makes it clever. Ultimately, what begins as a movie about committing a sin worthy of confession, becomes a movie about sins of omission—the moments when not doing anything is the worst thing you can do morally, whether it is not helping car-crash victims, not speaking up about what they witness, and eventually whether to confess or not.
And adults aren't innocent, either: from the chillingly silent family dinner, to the classroom of silent, obedient children who only regurgitate the latest lesson, the failure of constructive and relevant communication is rampant.
So perhaps the characters—and the movie as a whole—would have been stronger if Pope Benedict’s advice about “formation of the heart” were explored.
But overall, the piece brilliantly, beautifully, and thought-provokingly explores the power of Catholic confession through exploring what it means to be human.
-Maureen Walther
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