The Confession by Tanel Toom

The Confession, a story about 8-year old Sam facing his first confession, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film. It’s an effective story of a world of a small child, experiencing something unexpected and therefore coming to deal with the daily reality that seems to play with its dimensions uncontrollably. In Sam’s mind the magical and real can go at times hand in hand, jumping. In the same time he learns in a harsh way to get along with the concrete world and its moral authorities.

Sam’s experiences are told through his relationship to his dominating best friend, his relationship to his father who gets a vague glimpse of Sam’s angst, the confession that’s waiting to be done and the surroundings that reflect his inner world. The sounds that seem to follow him threateningly and visual features, like candles fading out as he walks past them mirror his emotions. I’m not totally convinced of the credibility of all of his reactions, but perhaps these wavering points can be seen as slight fairytale elements.

When vicious turns appear, an 8-eyer old barely would be able to stay as self-contained and maverick as Sam does in spite of his anxiety. Also the mise-en-scène and costume at times grow slightly further from realistic motivation, like in a fractionally theatrical accident scene. Yet some scenes build up a recognizable, emotional atmosphere. In between the lines it can be seen questioning the tradition of confessing.

By Helka Heinonen