Confessions.2010 | 500+ RECOMMENDED |

This is where performs its first magic trick. It weaponizes the viewers' expectations. We expect the teacher to scream, to cry, to call the police. She does none of those things. She reveals that she has injected the milk cartons of the two murderers with HIV-positive blood taken from her recently deceased husband (a fact she later reveals as a lie—a psychological trap).

This discordance is the point.

Why the longevity? Because the film answers a question most art is afraid to ask: What if revenge is completely justified?

She stands before her class, ignoring their chatter. She slowly discards her teacher persona. She announces she is resigning. Then, she nonchalantly writes a single kanji on the chalkboard: 命 (Inochi – Life).

But homeroom teacher Yuko Moriguchi (played with terrifying serenity by Takako Matsu) knows the truth.

Moriguchi does not get "caught." She does not repent. In the final shot of the film, she looks directly at a bomb that Watanabe has built, smiles, and whispers to him through a phone, "Just kidding. This is my real revenge. ... I'll see you in hell."

Warning: Major spoilers for "Confessions" (2010) ahead.

By the time the credits roll over a soft piano cover of "Last Flowers," you will realize you have not watched a movie. You have attended a confession. And you are an accessory to the crime. Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Watch if you liked: Oldboy (2003), The Chaser (2008), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011). Where to stream: Currently available on Amazon Prime (rental) and The Criterion Channel.