Two years ago, audiences at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival were overwhelmed by the political film Long Live Freedom. This year, Italian director Robert Andò returns to the Official Selection with another political film, The Confessions. "I am pleased to be back here again. I like the Karlovy Vary festival. I like the local atmosphere and the warm-heartedness."
Basically, the new film starts where Long Live Freedom ends. "This time I hear the whisper of power in places where power can be found today, where financial ministers decide the fates of states," the director described at the press conference. According to Andò this G8 summit philosophical suspense drama, in which the IMF chief suddenly dies, is first and foremost a film about uncertainty. "Which, in this day and age, is man's typical disposition."
The lead role of the monk, who observes the Seal of the Confessional and is reluctant to tell what the deceased revealed before his death, is again the director's friend Toni Servillo. "The monk is someone who pays the hard way for the life he leads. His silence drives the powerful people into a corner. And Toni knows how to convey a message to the audience with a mere look. He himself doesn't talk much, but listens a lot."
The Confessions has its international premiere at Karlovy Vary: so far, it has only been screened in Italy. "It was also seen by economists, and some of them were angry, claiming they were unlike my portrayal of them. But that's like showing a mafia film to a Mafioso," said Andò.
