DVD Review: "The Confession"

"The Confession"

DVD Review
Sony Pictures

Release Date: June 11, 2013
Source: DVD sent by publicist in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

About the DVD: (from the publicist)

Raised by an Amish family, Katie Lapp (Katie Leclerc, TV's "Switched at Birth") always felt the call of another life. Now, her quest to find her birth-mother, Laura Mayfield-Bennett (Sherry Stringfield, TV's "ER"), has drawn her into world of the "Englishers." Along the way, two very different men try to help her overcome a devious scheme to steal her rightful inheritance. Business-minded but kind-hearted Justin Wirth (Michael Rupnow) reaches out to discover Katie's hidden secrets, while her childhood companion Daniel Fisher (Cameron Deane Stewart) sacrifices his own happiness for her future. Katie's heart is divided between two worlds as love reveals the truth in the moving saga based on the hit novel from New York Times bestselling author Beverly Lewis.

Based on the novel by Beverly Lewis and directed by Michael Landon Jr., the film has a screenplay by Brian Bird and Michael Landon Jr. The film was produced by David R. Kappes and executive produced by Brian Bird, Maura Dunbar and Michael Landon Jr.

My Review: 

This movie had the potential to be really spectacular, but unfortunately the focus and structure fell a bit short. I think with a little more planning and better pacing, this film could have hit it out of the park! The middle of the film has great intrigue and secrets, which creates so much excitement and build up! It's really hard to go into detail without spoilers, but not only does Katie have to find away to get her biological mother to see the truth, someone is also hiding the truth from her! Lots of secrets, and lots of drama that the movie could have drawn out more.

While watching this film, I didn't realize that it was part of a series. The prequel to this film is "The Shunning", which unfortunately, I haven't seen yet. That would explain why I felt a bit lost at the beginning. I felt like I was tuning in at the middle of a movie or a season of a tv show. While the beginning felt disjointed and confusing, once the real conflict of the film started, I was drawn in by all the excitement!

Unfortunately, the end is abrupt and falls flat. I honestly thought it must be a 'dream sequence' because everything happened so fast and was wrapped up so neatly. All that intrigue for a let-down at the end. But don't despair, the movie isn't a total bust at all. In fact, the cliffhanger at the end has me itching to see the third installment to see what happens!

The production itself is very high quality. The acting is great and I loved seeing the estate where the movie was filmed. Meant to be Laura's inherited estate, the house is stunning. It reminded me of a modern day Downton Abbey.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed the movie more if the story had focused more on Katie and her relationship with her birth mother, and the two boys you see on the cover of the dvd. It's actually a bit misleading with these three on the cover, because it seems like Laura and her husband take the lead in this installment. I would have preferred the story to focus more on Katie and her journey. A lot of time was spent building up the villain and his story. Maybe with more of a focus the film wouldn't have been spread so thin.  

Bottom Line: While this film did have a slow beginning and abrupt end, I still enjoyed the middle of the movie immensely. I do think it could have been more focused, but it was still enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the next installment!

Trailer:




Purchase "The Confession" here:

http://www.amazon.com/Beverly-Lewis-Confession/dp/B00C4BDG7M/



Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD from the publicist in exchange for an honest review.