REVIEW OF CONFESSIONAL AT CLICKTHECITY.COM: True Confessions
by Philbert Ortiz Dy
posted on Thursday August 14, 2008
http://guides.clickthecity.com/movies/?p=3500

It's about time. Almost a year after its initial release, and having
already made waves abroad, Confessional finally gets a proper release
at home. And for the most part, it was worth the wait. This film is
like a breath of fresh air in the smog of formulaic, poorly made star-
driven films being churned out by local studios. Young and energetic,
quick and inventive, Confessional is a fine example of where our
local cinema ought to be heading, if everything goes right.

Ryan is a video editor and part-time videographer who's become jaded
about all the lies present in modern life. He takes a trip to Cebu
with his girlfriend, Monet, to see the Sinulog festival. There, he
starts filming a documentary about the festival for a contest. Along
the way, he interviews a bunch of people about the history of the
festival. But things take a left turn when he interviews Lito Caliso,
a former mayor of a town in Mindanao, who's convinced of his own
impending death. He then begins to confess all his crimes to Ryan's
camera, and Ryan, finally faced with the truth, finds himself
unprepared.

There's a lot of cleverness in this script. Great, realistic dialogue
mixed with some fantastic thematic writing all with a testy
postmodern sensibility. It can feel a little too-cool-for-school, but
it manages to stay true to itself by never forgetting about the
honesty of the sentiment. The emphasis is still on the characters,
the little eccentricities that give their struggles weight and
meaning. It's really great when the film goes and develops little
moments, like Lito showing Ryan around his house, or Monet doing a
magic trick. Some of the best lines in this movie are throwaway lines
that only begin to reveal their depth upon reflection. The film also
manages to be laugh-out-loud funny, which is a really good thing.

It's the filmmaking that will really grab your attention however. The
film is brimming with style. Shot somewhat like a documentary, the
movie feels that much more real. What really sets this film apart is
the editing, which is just phenomenal. The editing really gives the
film its unique feel, keeping things moving and generally ensuring
that there's always something interesting on screen. There are times
when things teeter over to the side of self-indulgence, but the film
mostly keeps itself in check. The film also makes great use of its
soundtrack, which really serves to enhance every scene.

The acting is all pretty good. The film's lead actor is Jerrold
Tarog, who also co-directed, edited, and scored the film. He doesn't
do anything explosive in the role. Instead he keeps it natural and
real, and it's a pretty good performance all in all. But the main
attraction here is Publio Briones III, who plays Lito Caliso. As the
former mayor, Briones is absolutely captivating. He adds so many
little touches that help bring the character to life, and you find
yourself rooting for him no matter what he says. The rest of the cast
keeps it simple, and it all works very well.

This is the kind of film that we ought to be making. It's original,
it's intelligent, and it's really well made. It's kind of amazing
that we've had to wait so long for a proper release for this film,
while dozens of lesser films make it into our cinemas every week.
Confessional bodes well for Philippine cinema as a whole, and people
really ought to be seeing it. It gets a high recommendation from me.