New Movies 2017: ‘The Confessions’ Is A Cerebral Mystery With Powerful Performances

With titles like Kong: Skull Island, Alien: Covenant, Wonder Woman, Get Out, and Split, 2017 has largely provided fans with new movies heavily centered on action, sci-fi, and horror. As new movies continue to be released throughout 2017, fans of thought-provoking dramas and mysteries can look forward to The Confessions.

Artistically directed by Roberto Ando (Long Live Freedom), The Confessions stars Toni Servillo (The Great Beauty), Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman), Daniel Auteuil (Caché), Pierfrancesco Favino (Rush), Marie-Josee Croze (Maelstrom), Moritz Bleibtreu (The Dark Side of the Moon), and John Heldenbergh (The Broken Circle Breakdown).

New Movies 2017: The Confessions—The Plot

Described as a metaphysical whodunit, the movie is set on the German coast during a G8 meeting. As the world’s most powerful and influential economists gather to enact important provisions that will deeply influence the world economy, three outsiders are invited as guests: children’s novelist Claire Seth (Connie Nielsen), famed rock star Michael Wintzl (Johan Heldenbergh), and personally invited by International Monetary Fund director Daniel Roche (Daniel Auteuil), Italian monk and author Roberto Salus (Toni Servillo). The group gathers on the first evening to get to settle in and socialize, and at the end of the night Roche meets with Salus to confess a secret; the next morning Daniel is found dead in his room.

As Roberto is the last person to see Roche alive, he is of great interest to members of the G8 meeting and to secret service agent Mark Klein (Moritz Bleibtreu). Salus has taken a vow of silence, but he periodically breaks his vow of silence throughout the film. G8 members and Klein urge him to break his silence, and his vow of secrecy, to reveal what Roche confessed to him the night before his death. The film tackles the purpose of power, and of life and death itself.

New Movies 2017: The Confessions—The Delivery

The Confessions beautifully shifts between English, French, and Spanish throughout the movie. The authentic languages of the film adds to the realism and tone of the story. With most of the film being spoken in English, even moviegoers who normally don’t view subtitled movies will most likely thoroughly enjoy the picture.

With artistic imagery and symbolism (particularly with water), beautiful shadowing, and a stunning soundtrack, this is one of those movies that speaks to the audience even when there isn’t a lot of dialogue in a scene. The entire cast does a great job, and critics have praised Connie Nielsen and Toni Servillo for giving standout performances.

Nielsen beautifully portrays a complexity of emotions with a poise and an essence that transcends the screen (what her character feels, the audience is also likely to feel). With purposeful expressions and only speaking a few words (usually filled with wisdom), Servillo portrays the monk masterfully. The two talents don’t waste any movement on the screen; everything the artists do is with intent and purpose.

The Confessions have received rave reviews from critics calling it thought-provoking, artistic, and a cinematic masterpiece. Variety describes why this is one of the best new movies of 2017.

“The Confessions is a philosophical thriller in which characters contemplate the meaning of time or the concept of creative destruction in international relations. By giving it the aspect of a more traditional whodunit, Andò makes his story enjoyable by the general audience, as his elegant mise en scène and voluntarily classical composition — often perfectly geometrical, with intimate closeups on faces, bolstered by Nicola Piovani’s graceful score — makes the narration instantly readable.”

New Movies 2017: The Confessions—Release Date And Trailer

Released internationally in 2016, The Confessions is set to hit theaters nationwide in the U.S. on July 7, 2017, and a new trailer was recently released for the occasion.

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With artistic direction, brilliant performances, and rave reviews from critics, The Confessions is one of the most highly-anticipated new movies of 2017.

[Featured Image by Uncork’d Entertainment]