All language subtitles for Il Confessionale (1998).eng

It was a dreary July afternoon
when I returned to church

after a year of excommunication.

I found myself kneeling before the altar
where we usually heard confessions.

I feel a state of grief and shame.

I felt the weight of the eye
of divinity penetrating my soul

and I tried to
remember all my sins.

This is it

the confession I made

as she came back alive

in my memory.

I was moved to Alatri, in Reggio Calabria

to serve God as
parish priest in a rural church.

My whole area had
only a thousand inhabitants.

With all this I was happy,

because I was able to serve the
church according to my convictions.

It came back to me,
the face of Dr. Giacomo Buscemi,

a young doctor who contributed
greatly to the way my life has gone.

Through him the devil showed
his seductive face and slowly led me away

on the path of sin
and perdition.

CONFESSIONAL

A few days after settling in Alatri

I was called by Mrs. Pirrero's sisters

to bring God's comfort

to a woman dying of
a serious hereditary disease.

Because of that sad situation I had
called the lady's daughter from Turin,

who seemed to attend
her mother's slow agony

with inexplicable indifference.

For discretion I went out in
the other room with the lady's sisters

waiting for the doctor to finish his work.

What are you doing?

Shh!

Please stop.

I have to pay for
all the sins I've done.

I wonder what they're doing there?

I don't know,

I'll go and see.

How unfortunate we are.

What was before my eyes

stirred a flood of emotions in me.

And the initial surprise

was immediately replaced by a
intense and profound spiritual calm

and maybe life.

It showed me that an
excited and vibrant body

was able to chase away
the dark atmosphere of death.

Oh...

Yes, yes...

What I saw that night

was constantly coming
back into my thoughts.

Even when I was serving Mass,

I was convinced that people
should pray according to their own faith

without the unspoken secret of sin,

because I had to be different from them.

After all, in communion
of their prayers

they were closer to God

just like me.

If this was my life

I had to share both
their qualities and their flaws

because I was just like them.

Just following my natural instincts,

without knowing

of my true faith

for the Lord God.

In fact, we often tend to forget
what He wanted to convey to us

through His holy words in Scripture.

It is against all teaching
to ignore, what can lead us

to a life full of serenity
dedicated to God's will.

Do not forget the fact

that we and our children are
connected to the Divine Will

and we exist to serve God
and the Church of the Mother of God,

in every moment of our lives.

Kneel down, my daughter.

First tell me how long it's been
since you last confessed Daniella?

The last time was a couple of months ago.

I made a confession at Don Mario Church

in my father's hometown.

Tell me...

Have you committed
any sins since then?

Father, my life is near
entirely devoted to my studies.

In the morning I go to school
and in the afternoon I do my homework,

and in the evening, I help my mother
prepare dinner and do housework.

I rarely see my girlfriends,
except on Sunday afternoons

we meet in the city center.

I don't think there's anything
wrong in talking to your friends.

I don't see how I can help you
in this matter.

The problem is that one
of these friends of mine

dated a boy and yesterday she
told me all about what they did.

And...

What did she tell you?

She told me they were
with each other and he...

Father, I'm ashamed to say.

It's not good to talk about it.

It would be better to tell your friend
to come and confess immediately

and try to think
more about marriage,

instead of continuing to commit acts
that this demon has urged her to do.

Agreed?

There is another problem.

Yesterday evening before going to bed

I was thinking about what my friend said

and I experienced for the first time

a warm feeling

so intense and
strange that I was afraid.

But...

Please explain better.

Father, I'm ashamed to say, but this
is not the first time this has happened.

I felt the urge to touch myself,

so I took a cushion and
I started to squeeze it hard.

I imagined it was a man
and I felt a great pleasure.

What you've done is
very bad, my daughter.

You must try to resist all
the temptations the devil offers.

Now say the Lord's Prayer

and 20 times that of the Virgin Mary.

Then you'll have to try to come
more often to the church to pray.

And always remember

that God see and
judge everything you do.

Father, to what do we
owe the honor of this visit?

Hand of God has
moved me to visit you.

But I'd like to talk to you in private.

Of course!

Rosa, please bring a cup
of coffee for Don Luca.

- Thank you...
- Sure, excuse me.

Please, Father, what
do you want to tell me?

You see, I'm tied to
the secret of confession

but when it comes to a
matter of such gravity,

I'm afraid I have to break the rules.

What's this about?

It's about your daughter, Daniela.

Yesterday during confession

she confessed to me
some very serious facts

that make me think that she
might be possessed by the devil.

Oh my God!

Don Luca!

We have always been a
family very dedicated to God.

Every week we go to church.

My wife attends with great devotion
to all the processions in the country.

The devil has always been
held outside these doors.

Please, have mercy...

Tell me...

What did Daniela do?

These are matters
too personal and serious.

But listen to me

if you want me to help you

starting from today

you must prevent Daniela
from seeing her friends.

And above all

you must try to
convince her without delay

that she must come to church
every day for at least a week.

If you do all this

then I can guarantee
that we will get results.

Otherwise,

we just have to
rely on God's will.

We will do as you say, Father.

You can count on me.

And so my goal
has come to fruition

and I felt the fate of that girl

was getting closer and closer to my will.

Starting today, you're
coming straight home from school!

Mom will pick you up every day!

You can't go out anymore on Sunday
to see your friends, is that clear?

But why dad?

I don't understand why I have to do this.

Don Luca told your father,

that something very serious had happened.

You must try to obey, Daniela!

Otherwise you take some big risks.

Mom...

I...

I didn't...

I didn't do anything wrong, I swear.

Enough of this, Daniella!

Don Luca is waiting for you at the
church, he will explain everything.

Listen to me...

If you don't want to get
in trouble, do what I say.

Well, Daniela...

Let's hear what you have to tell me today.

Don Luca, I thought everything I said
in confession must remain secret.

Father and mother are
very angry at me right now.

Daniella...

I was forced to talk to them.

I did it

because from what you told me

I had a feeling that the devil
is trying to take over your soul.

All of this can very dangerous.

Father, when you tell me this, I get very
afraid, I don't understand what you're saying.

I think you need to explain.

Daniella

I saw

women possessed by the devil
who suffered terrible torments,

spitting blood,

levitated in the air

and spoke in unknown languages.

Don Luca, I don't want all this to
happen to me. Please, tell me what to do.

Listen to me carefully, Daniela.

Unfortunately I must challenge you.

What I have to do

is very disgusting.

I need to see all your reactions clearly

and you must try to listen to me.

But above all

you must never speak

to your parents or anyone else.

I'll do whatever you say, Father.
I love life very much.

I don't want to be possessed by the devil.

Heretofore belonged to me

and I felt the desire to
to show a new life.

For this

I took Daniela

in a corner of the church.

You have to take it easy

to feel it in your mouth.

Open your mouth wider.

No, no...

Wait...

That's not how it's done...

Listen, open wide.

Harder...

That's good, bravo.

And now slowly put it in your mouth.

Harder, try to get it as deep as you can.

Oh yes...

Yes, that's good...

That's it, open wide.

Continue...

Take me, Daniela.

You need to open your mouth wide.

Yes, like so...

You'll get better soon.

Lick it...

Use your tongue, so to
slide it easier in your mouth.

There you go.

Watch me...

Look at me and suck it.

Yes...

Bravo...

Grab it with your mouth...

Yes, that's perfect.

Grab it with your hand.

Move it...

Look here.

And now faster.

Well done...

Keep going, like this.

The virgins are certainly beautiful.

They're not wide at all...

Look me in the eye, Daniela.

This is your punishment.

It wasn't enough to
consummate that relationship.

I wanted to possess
the girl in unbelievable ways.

That's why I invited her
for a follow-up meeting.

Don't worry, ma'am,

I just need half an hour.

If you want, you can sit down.

Thank you, Father.

Daniela, come in, please.

Don't worry, everything will be fine.

God, lead us in the right path.

Sit down, Daniela.

Well...

I'm sorry

but it's not over yet.

That's good, that's very good.

Well done, Daniela.

You learned your lesson well.

Wait!

Sorry, ma'am.

I know I'm trying your patience,
but you must be patient.

Unfortunately the situation is not easy

but with God's
help we will succeed.

Please be patient, my daughter.

Here, taste the divine liquor.

From that day on, the girl became my prey.

I was a man like any other,

but I had the advantage of
of being able to enter the ritual

through the confessional.

Well, Marge...

I hope you don't sin anymore

with your girlfriend.

Father, I like women more than
men, but that's not my fault.

It's a natural fact.

Then...

You know it's useless to come
and ask for God's forgiveness.

There's no connection between
these relationships and Christianity.

Don Luca, I'm not here to ask
forgiveness, I'm just here for advice.

In the city everyone marginalizes
me, and I can't talk to anyone.

I wanted to talk to you
about something very serious.

What's the problem?

You know, for over a year now

I've had an emotional relationship
with a girl from San Leucio.

Michelle noticed our relationship and
threatened to tell everyone the truth.

Are you sure about this?

I know Michelle well.

He's a faithful old man
who often comes to church

with his daughter
Daniela and his wife Rosa.

Father, I don't know who I could talk to.

He said he'd like to see me this
evening at the old Masseria in Borgopi

or tomorrow he'll talk to Melina's parents.

I'm sure he wants to take advantage of me.

What should I do?

What do you want me to say?

Above all, you have
to do what he wants

if you want to save your
relationship with this girl.

Don't talk to anyone about
what's going to happen.

This is a prerequisite.

Tuesday I attended the meeting,
because I was interested

to discover the real
face of Danielle's father.

But mostly because I thought
it might help me to strengthen

my power over that girl.

You sure are brave.

Now lick my finger.

Next day

I called them into the
sacristy of the church.

I had decided on the next prey.

When you were at the
meeting yesterday, I came too.

I saw the whole thing.

I didn't like your conduct at all.

What do you mean, Father?

What I mean is

your behavior was not
that of a threatened women.

I have the impression that you

also felt a lot of pleasure.

You felt as much pleasure

as two depraved women.

And what could I do, Don Luca?

I already told you

that pig would have destroyed us.

That doesn't matter to me.

But it would be good...

If you want the church to
to keep absolutely silent

about what happened yesterday

your girlfriend must be very nice

with the one who
represents God on earth.

I don't understand, Father.

You're a smart woman, Marge.

Try to interpret correctly
everything I have told you.

Once again

I've reached my goal

and the moment was approaching
that I was to seduce Margia's partner.

I wanted to do it in the same place

where I saw her at the meeting

to revive the feeling of sin

that had invaded my heart.

No, stop pushing...

My wish had become quite uncontrollable.

I just had to wait for
the next victim to satisfy it.

Tell me, my daughter.

What sins have you committed?

Father...

I've always been a clean woman,

servant of God and
of the Church of Our Lady.

The only sin in my life

I committed yesterday.

Certainly not of my own volition.

I went to St. Helen's School

to solve a problem for my niece

that I am looking after.

While we wait

we heard

coming from a room

a noise.

The door was open, so

I approached

and to my great surprise

I saw two nuns kissing.

What kind of kiss?

I'm not wrong, Father.

I saw what happened up close.

They were dressed

and they kissed passionately.

What you told me is very serious.

Are you sure

that someone else didn't see them?

Personally, no.

But I'm aware of many other things.

Some time ago, one
of the sisters told me

that she had seen the
director of the institute

in the company of a woman.

Imagine the seriousness of
the things she was talking about.

She knew that
the director has a girlfriend.

And she also told me

that strange things often
happen at the institute.

And the Mother Superior

knew about it.

Oh yes...

From what I remember

one of the sisters
that I caught kissing

taught catechism for a while

in my niece's class.

Her name was Sordina.

Say the Lord's Prayer and
that of the Virgin Mary five times

and after the confession
try to forget what happened.

God will judge

the fate and sins of these
two lascivious and unfaithful sisters.

May I know why you wanted to see me?

Sister Sordina.

I wanted to meet you here

because I need to talk to you
about a personal matter.

Well, Don Luca, what is it?

You see, yesterday,

one of the faithful ladies

told me that she had seen
you in an intimate setting

with one of your sisters

that she could not specify.

How dare you talk to me like that?

That is a lie!

No, don't get mad at me, please.

We both are servants of God.

But above all we are human,

with all the flaws that
might be caused by that.

I am

very close to her.

I understand very well

this kind of thing.

I was immediately convinced
that the sister was in my possession.

So I called her in
sacristy the next day.

To my surprise

the Mother Superior of
the Institute came to the meeting

and kept an absolute watch over
all things made known to her

and left everything to my will.

Now, together...

How tempting.

Grab it with your mouth...

Here, sister...

Fantastic...

Oh yes...

What happened next

was due to a lucky coincidence,

without any contribution of my own will.

It started at the wedding celebration
of two young people from the village.

More importantly, they
were no regulars of my church.

But I had often seen them quarreling

in front of the main bar.

She was a nice, friendly girl.

She, as usual, enjoyed the reputation

that she was very sensitive

in terms of feminine charm.

All of that did not
have much importance

but it helped make something happen

that I never expected.

...and having said that,

your mission has been accomplished...

During a wedding banquet

the couple had a fight

because of an old passion of his.

It went something like this...

I want to cancel the wedding!

The guy allowed her to invite
his ex-girlfriend to the wedding!

- And...
- I caught them talking behind a corner!

- And...
- He swore he'd never see her again!

- I want to talk to you!
- All right, come in.

I can't fully understand what happened.

Well, tell me...

That girl's pride had been badly damaged

and she tried to
find relief by revenge.

She chose me to
fulfill her intentions

and I certainly did.

I never saw her again.

A few days later

on an August afternoon

happened the things
that led to the end

of my future.

Bastard! You son of a bitch!

My daughter told me everything!

Now you'll pay for everything you've done!

You took advantage of our
good faith to play your dirty games!

You're finished because now
everyone knows who you are

and how you treat people!

You bastard! Son of a bitch!

The man who threatened
those young lesbians,

threatened me by accusing me of immorality.

Society gave him the right to say
that what I had done was a crime.

So today I am a man like him

trying to find the true faith

hungry for my personal freedom.

I am with you, God

more than I ever was.

After all those scandals

life went on as usual.

Nobody wanted to talk to me
and everyone was trying to understand.

I have been excommunicated,

and the church was taken
over by a new parish priest.

But in this church,

as in all the other
churches in the world,

no one knows

what is really hidden

behind the shadow of the confessional.