''The Confessional'' () is a 1995 mystery-

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair lo ...

. The film is set in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, in two distinct time periods. In the present day, Pierre Lamontagne (

Lothaire Bluteau Lothaire Bluteau (born 14 April 1957) is a Canadian actor, active in film, theatre, and television. He won the Genie Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of the title character in Denys Arcand's ''Jesus of Montreal'' (1989) ...

) searches for his estranged brother Marc ( Patrick Goyette) to help unravel a family mystery. The mystery itself unfolds in flashbacks set against the backdrop of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's 1952 filming of '' I Confess'' in the city. Brian D. Johnson
"Film Review: Le confessional"
''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'', September 11, 1995. The cast also includes Ron Burrage as Hitchcock,

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress. A five-time BAFTA Award and Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994) and the Olivi ...

as his assistant, and

Jean-Louis Millette Jean-Louis Millette (; 4 January 1935 – 29 September 1999) was a Canadian French-speaking actor and writer. Millette was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Millette's television career spanned over thirty years: he was a cast member of many ...

as Raymond Massicotte, Marc's lover who also holds the key to unlocking the Lamontagne family's secrets.

Plot

''The Confessional'' is set in Quebec City in 1952, during the time Alfred Hitchcock was filming '' I Confess''. The city is transitioning into the modern era due to the advent of television and its initial exposure to Hollywood. A character resembling Hitchcock is depicted during the local premiere of ''I Confess''. The story shifts between events in the early '50s and 1989. In 1989, Pierre Lamontagne returns to Quebec City from China for his father's funeral. He struggles to find his adopted brother, Marc. They eventually reunite in a gay sauna. The brothers embark on a quest to discover Marc’s biological father, initially believed to be a parish priest. Their mother, Rachel, after multiple visits to the confessional, gave birth to Marc and later took her own life. The film often revisits the making of ''I Confess'', centering on Hitchcock's assistant as she interacts with the local church and organizes auditions for Hitchcock. Various characters, such as a mysterious gentleman, play significant roles in the unfolding narrative.

Cast

as Pierre LaMontagne * Patrick Goyette as Marc LaMontagne *

as Raymond Massicotte *

as Assistant to Hitchcock * Ron Burrage as Alfred Hitchcock * Richard Fréchette as André LaMontagne * François Papineau as Paul-Émile LaMontagne *

Marie Gignac Marie Gignac is a two-time Genie Award–nominated actress. Gignac has been nominated twice in the category of Best Supporting Actress each for '' The Confessional'' (''Le Confessionnal'') and '' The Secret Life of Happy People'' (''La Vie secrè ...

as Françoise LaMontagne *

Normand Daneau Normand Daneau is a Canadian actor and screenwriter from Quebec. He is most noted for his performance as Pierre in the 2009 film ''Suzie'', for which he was a Jutra Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor at the 12th Jutra Awards in 2010, and as c ...

as The Young Priest Massicotte *

Anne-Marie Cadieux Anne-Marie Cadieux (born September 23, 1963) is a Canadian actress, film director and screenwriter. She has won a Jutra Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Streetheart (Le Cœur au poing)'' and in 2008 was nominated for a Genie A ...

as Manon * Suzanne Clément as Rachel * Lynda Lepage-Beaulieu as Jeanne d'Arc * Pascal Rollin as Parish Priest LaLiberte *

Billy Merasty Billy Merasty (born 1960) is an Aboriginal peoples in Canada, Aboriginal Canadian actor and writer of Cree descent. Early life Merasty was born in Brochet, Manitoba, Canada. He is the ninth of fourteen siblings born to Viola and Pierre Merasty, ...

as "Moose" *

Paul Hébert Paul Hébert, OC, CQ (May 28, 1924 – April 20, 2017) was a French Canadian television and stage actor and director, and the founder of six theatres in Quebec. He is best known for his role as Siméon Desrosiers in '' Le Temps d’une paix'', ...

as Parish Priest (1989)

Awards and nominations

The film was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the

68th Academy Awards The 68th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 1995 in the United States and took place on March 25, 1996, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beg ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee. In 2001, an industry poll conducted by '' Playback'' named it the 13th best Canadian film of the preceding 15 years. Michael Posner, "Egoyan tops film poll". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', November 25, 2001.

References

External links

* *
Canadian Film Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Confessional 1995 films French mystery drama films Best Picture Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners Canadian mystery drama films 1990s mystery drama films Films about films Films set in Quebec City Films directed by Robert Lepage Best First Feature Genie and Canadian Screen Award–winning films Films shot in Quebec City Canadian LGBTQ-related films 1990s LGBTQ-related drama films 1995 LGBTQ-related films 1995 directorial debut films 1995 drama films Cultural depictions of Alfred Hitchcock French-language Canadian films 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films 1990s French films Films produced by Philippe Carcassonne English-language mystery drama films

Plot

Cast

Awards and nominations

See also

References

External links