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The Confessional
The Confessional
Directed by	Robert Lepage
Written by	Robert Lepage
Produced by	Philippe Carcassonne; David Puttnam; Denise Robert
Starring	Lothaire Bluteau; Patrick Goyette; Jean-Louis Millette
Cinematography	Alain Dostie
Edited by	Emmanuelle Castro
Music by	Sacha Puttnam
Distributed by	Alliance Films (Canada); Pan-Européenne Distribution (France); Curzon Artificial Eye (United Kingdom)
Release date	August 24, 1995 (Italy);
Running time	100 minutes
Countries	Canada; France; United Kingdom
Languages	English, French

The Confessional (French: Le Confessionnal) is a 1995 mystery-drama film directed by Robert Lepage.^[2]

The film is set in Quebec City, in two distinct time periods. In the present day, Pierre Lamontagne (Lothaire Bluteau) 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's 1952 filming of I Confess in the city.^[3]

The cast also includes Ron Burrage as Hitchcock, Kristin Scott Thomas as his assistant, and Jean-Louis Millette 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.^[3]

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.^[3]

Cast

Lothaire Bluteau as Pierre LaMontagne
Patrick Goyette as Marc LaMontagne
Jean-Louis Millette as Raymond Massicotte
Kristin Scott Thomas as Assistant to Hitchcock
Ron Burrage as Alfred Hitchcock
Richard Fréchette as André LaMontagne
François Papineau as Paul-Émile LaMontagne
Marie Gignac as Françoise LaMontagne
Normand Daneau as The Young Priest Massicotte
Anne-Marie Cadieux as Manon
Suzanne Clément as Rachel
Lynda Lepage-Beaulieu as Jeanne d'Arc
Pascal Rollin as Parish Priest LaLiberte
Billy Merasty as "Moose"
Paul Hébert 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, but was not accepted as a nominee.^[4]^[5]

In 2001, an industry poll conducted by Playback named it the 13th best Canadian film of the preceding 15 years.^[6]

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Genie Awards	1996	Best Picture	Denise Robert	Won	^[7]
		Best Director	Robert Lepage	Won	^[7]
		Best Actor	Lothaire Bluteau	Nominated	^[8]
		Best Supporting Actress	Anne-Marie Cadieux	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Marie Gignac	Nominated
		Best Art Direction/Production Design	François Laplante	Won	^[7]
		Best Cinematography	Alain Dostie	Nominated	^[8]
		Best Costume Design	Barbara Kidd	Nominated
		Best Editing	Emmanuelle Castro	Nominated
		Best Overall Sound	Jean-Claude Laureux, Jo Caron, Hans Peter Strobl	Nominated
		Best Sound Editing	Nick Berry, Jérôme Décarie, Jacques Plante, Diane Boucher, Antoine Morin	Nominated
		Claude Jutra Award	Robert Lepage	Won	^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b "The Confessional (1995)". UniFrance. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
^ Jay Stone, "Lepage's first feature film a feast for the eyes". Ottawa Citizen, December 1, 1995.
^ ^a ^b ^c Brian D. Johnson, "Film Review: Le confessional". Maclean's, September 11, 1995.
^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
^ "41 to Compete for Foreign Language Oscar Nominations". FilmFestivals.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
^ Michael Posner, "Egoyan tops film poll". The Globe and Mail, November 25, 2001.
^ ^a ^b ^c Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-7737-3238-1.
^ ^a ^b "Lepage leads Genie nominees". The Globe and Mail, November 8, 1995.