Forgive the pain – Newspaper Kommersant No. 187 (7388) of 10/10/2022

Fran Krantz’s film Confessions (Mass) was released – a psychological drama about two families, both connected and separated by a common tragedy. Debutant director, as I was convinced Yulia Shagelman, does not spare the audience, making them participants in a frank conversation on the topic of school shooting, which has become relevant not only for the United States.

In a small provincial church that provides space for various meetings (Alcoholics Anonymous, etc.), they are preparing for the next meeting. It should be a routine event, but the parishioner in charge (Brida Vul) is clearly more than usual, and the serious woman (Michelle N. Carter), who, apparently, should act as a moderator, pays a lot of attention to the minutiae: how the chairs are arranged, where there is a box of paper handkerchiefs, is there too much food prepared, because there will only be four people here, and they are unlikely to be in the mood for a snack. This nervous, uncomfortable introduction lasts ten minutes, which is quite a long time by cinematic standards, but still not enough to prepare for the onslaught of emotions that will soon fill an unremarkable room, decorated only with a couple of children’s drawings and a crucifix.

When the main characters appear on the screen – Jay (Jason Isaacs) and Gail (Martha Plimpton) on the one hand, Richard (Reed Birney) and Linda (Anne Dowd) on the other, a new wave of awkward greetings and an exchange of empty remarks follow. Someone rearranges the chairs again, no one knows what to do with the bouquet that Linda brought, everyone averts their eyes and obviously does not know how to start the conversation for which they are actually here. The backstory gradually clears up: six years ago, a high school student fired at a school, killed ten people and committed suicide. Both couples lost children in this tragedy, but the son of one was the victim and the other was the killer. Krantz, who staged the picture according to his own scenario, does not equalize what they had to endure, but gradually raises the emotional stakes, for some time deliberately leaving the audience in the dark about who had a chance to play what role in what happened.

It is also unclear for the time being why the orphaned parents agreed to meet face to face for the first time in years. Are they willing to ask for forgiveness and give it? Throw out your pain again? Can you finally find the strength to let go of the past and move on? During a tense conversation that turns into a stream of accusations, then regrets about what can no longer be corrected, the film makes several turns that can lead to various endings. At the same time, despite the political acuteness of the topic, Krantz focuses primarily on human experiences. Even when men break into a discussion about the need to limit the circulation of weapons (Jay became an activist actively advocating prohibition measures after the tragedy, Richard continues to believe that the problem is not in easy access to guns and pistols, but in the mental health of young people), they thus pronounce his despair, guilt, an attempt once again to cling to at least some kind of logic where it does not exist and cannot exist.

What caused the tragedy: computer games, school bullying, parents’ lack of attention to the problems of their difficult child, the biochemistry of his brain, or all of this together? Both the authors of the film and the characters, and with them the audience, understand that no answer will be sufficient and will not be able to alleviate suffering. The path to redemption has to be groped in the dark, and it is a lonely endeavor not only for those whom society turns its back on in order to hold them accountable for a terrible crime, but also for those who seem to be surrounded by sympathy and support. In the finale, Krantz still gives his heroes the opportunity to see the light, but in order to come to him, one must not be afraid to take one more step.