The Confession (1970)

In the cold shadow of the 1950s Czechoslovakian political landscape, a man known only as Gérard - an alias masking his true identity, Anton Ludvik - serves as the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs. A staunch Communist, his loyalty has been unflinching since his days as a member of the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War and his daring service in the French Resistance against the Nazis during WWII. His Jewish roots led him to the grim confines of a concentration camp, while his wife Lise, bearing their unborn son, shared a similar fate. Yet, the horrors of their past have not deterred them from their dedication to the Communist cause, and they enjoy the privileges that come with their positions within the government. However, a chilling sense of foreboding descends as Gérard notices he's being openly surveilled. A pattern emerges - his fellow comrades from the International Brigade are being targeted one by one. The inevitable strikes and he is apprehended, plunged into a Kafkaesque nightmare of relentless interrogations, solitary confinement, and psychological manipulation by captors loyal to the Soviet regime. The charges leveled against him range from being a Trotskyite, a Titoite, a Zionist, to a traitor colluding with the Americans - a complex web of accusations that Gérard struggles to comprehend. The captors' tactics are ruthless, employing a warped logic that demands Gérard confess to these crimes as proof of his allegiance to the Communist Party. If he succumbs, he would be admitting to crimes that could potentially lead to his execution. As Gérard is forced to navigate this torturous labyrinth, working desperately to maintain his convictions, Lise is fed a contrasting narrative about his incarceration, holding on to the hope that cooperation with the Communists will secure his release. This tale of ideological loyalty, mental torment, and the struggle for truth is based on the real-life experiences of Czechoslovakian communist Artur London. The Confession (1970) is a chilling exploration of a faithful civil servant's descent into a world where treason is the only ticket to survival.

The Confession is a drama movie featuring Yves Montand and directed by Costa-Gavras.

The Confession is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Kanopy.

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