(Movie Review) 'Confession': clever recreation of locked-room murder mystery

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- "Confession" is a stylish locked-room mystery that incorporates elements of psychology, crime and morality, and its twisted plot is enough to baffle and delight audiences.

Based on Spanish director Oriol Paulo's "The Invisible Guest" (2016), the film tells a story about a man who has been named the perpetrator of a murder inside of a sealed room and his lawyer who is trying to determine the truth.

Director Yoon Jong-seok reuses the popular theme of an impossible murder case, but features a female attorney defending her client, not a male detective trying to crack the case, to reconstruct the crime.

In "Confession," IT company CEO Yoo Min-ho (So Ji-sup) tries to hire Yang Sin-ae (Kim Yun-jin), a shrewd attorney with a 100 percent win rate, after he was named a prime suspect in the killing of his mistress Kim Se-hui (Nana) in a hotel room.

Yoo flatly denies the allegation, but the room was locked from the inside and there were no exits. How can he prove his innocence?

The attorney grills Yoo to confess the truth and uncovers a car accident that could be related to the murder case.

The two try to put together the pieces of what happened on the day of Kim's death and prior to the incident with different scenarios.

Most scenes take place at a remote cottage on a snowy winter night, a hotel and roads in a mountainous landscape, creating suspense and the enigmatic atmosphere of a thriller.

Close-up shots of the main characters' facial expressions in dim lighting effectively deliver the subtle changes of their emotions and sometimes give clues to their hidden identities and intentions.

The film casts questions about morality, law and the value of human life through dialogue between Yoo and Yang, poking at the hypocrisy of a successful CEO with a dark side. The story then carries the audience toward a cathartic ending.

Director Yoon said he felt pressure from remaking a film famous for its surprise ending, but wanted to twist the structure to add depth to the characters and better appeal to viewers.

"I thought the original film is a well-made genre movie, but sacrificed some really good sequences because they were revealed at the end," Yoon said during a screening event. "I wanted to change the structure of revealing some information to share different stories with the audience."

Kim, who starred in Netflix series "Money Heist: Korea" and American TV shows "Lost", said she focused on her facial expressions and body language to vividly portray the character's changing state of mind in the static setting.

"I felt nervous while shooting the shots just like the character," Kim said. "In some close-up shots, my skin under eyes was seen trembling."

So, who appeared in several hit TV drama series and films "Alienoid" (2022) and "Be With You" (2017), said starring in a thriller movie without action scenes was challenging but was satisfied with showing his new image in his debut in the genre.

"I want to do it again. (Thriller) is an interesting genre," he said.

"Confession" will hit local theaters on Oct. 26.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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