Confessions

Confessions (告白 Kokuhaku) is a 2010 Japanese psychological thriller drama film directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, based on housewife-turned-author Kanae Minato's 2008 debut mystery novel that won the 2009 Honya Taisho award (Japan Booksellers Award).

Plot
A grieving mother turns into a cold-blooded avenger to pay back the people responsible for her daughter's death.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Possibly one of the most disturbing and depressing films of the decade.
 * 2) Every single actor in the film's performances are amazing, especially Takako Matsu and the teenage actors.
 * 3) The idea of a mother who gets revenge on the murderers of her daughter and the confessions of the students is amazing and well-executed.
 * 4) The more we look at the perspectives of the murders, the more we get to know the characters, which makes great character development.
 * 5) The plot is well-written and riddled with plot twists.
 * 6) Beautiful, haunting soundtrack, especially the song in the first few minutes.
 * 7) The lives of the killers that follow after they receive the revenge from their teacher are very dark and depressing, especially Naoki's.
 * 8) Moriguchi doesn't appear after the beginning of the movie. She makes her next appearance in the climax when she calls Shuya at the university when he tries to blow it up.
 * 9) Amazing cinematography, with its black-grey-and white setting, causing the film to be more depressing.

Reception
The film received a widespread positive response globally, with critics praising a variety of factors including good adaptation from the book, the director's style, and the acting, particularly by the child actors. The film holds an 81% 'fresh' average score at Rotten Tomatoes. It also holds a 7.8/10 on IMDb.