Die Beichte

"La Confession" is a film based on a famous book "Passionate Heart" which was already made into a famous film "Léon Morin, prêtre" with J. P. Belmondo. I resisted seeing the original to avoid comparing the two, but now that I have seen Le Confession I firmly intend to watch the one with Belmondo.

La Confession is a story about a priest and people that surround him in his little parish. As it is set in WWII France, there is plenty of opportunity for emotional dialogues and events, and this film has plenty of that. The performances were absolutely impeccable - especially the two leads (And I LOVED the little girl!). However, even with all that, many scenes fail to take the full advantage of the drama that unfolds, and we get mere glimpses of what should have been much more powerful scenes, and in the end - film itself.

There are few loose ends and missed opportunities that if done well would have made this into a great film; but as it is, Le Confession is only good, not great.

Still, I enjoyed it, not only for Marine Vacth's and Romain Duris' performance, but also for the scenery, dialogues and story itself.

La Confession is a decent film that could have and should have been a lot better; it missed the mark by ever so little. Luckily, there is also plenty to enjoy here.

Léon Morin, prêtre (1961) was a very good movie, with a strong Belmondo playing as a priest. This remake is even slightly better. Romain Duris and Marine Vacth are both excellent players. The scenario is tighter in this new version, tighter on the central theme of spirit and flesh.