James Franco and Rob Lowe face each other across a Soviet interrogation room in the first trailer for Confession, a historical drama that places a disturbing question at its center: what would you betray to stay alive? Written by Ben Shapiro and produced by The Daily Wire, the film turns a prisoner's struggle for survival into a confrontation over faith, truth, and conscience.
Set in Stalinist Moscow in 1938, the story follows Alexei, a disillusioned former literature professor played by Lowe, who is arrested and taken to the notorious Lubyanka Prison. Accused of conspiring with a dissident priest, he discovers that his interrogator is Vladimir, a brilliant and brutal former student portrayed by Franco. The relationship gives the encounter a personal edge: the man demanding answers once sat under the prisoner's instruction.
That reversal makes the premise especially unsettling. A teacher's influence ordinarily depends on persuasion, discussion, and the freedom to question; here, his former student possesses the power to compel an answer. The interrogation invites viewers to consider what becomes of education when intelligence serves coercion-and what remains of personal conviction when speaking honestly carries a potentially fatal cost.
The title itself suggests a troubling collision between spiritual confession and a confession extracted by force. Within Christian faith, confession can involve repentance and a voluntary acknowledgment of truth. In the film's prison setting, the demand to confess raises a different question: whether the authorities want an honest account or submission to the story they have already decided to tell.
Director Václav Marhoul, whose credits include The Painted Bird, leads an ensemble featuring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Nick Nolte, Richard Brake, Emile Hirsch, Brad Dourif, and Dean Norris. The combination of Marhoul's filmmaking background, Shapiro's screenplay, and a recognizable Hollywood cast makes Confession a notable addition to The Daily Wire's film slate.
For Christian audiences, the dissident priest's place in the accusation provides a compelling point of entry. The premise invites reflection on the cost of association with someone whose convictions challenge political authority. It also presses a harder, more personal question: when protecting another person threatens our own safety, how much does our professed faith govern our choices?
Those questions establish the film's promise, although the trailer alone cannot show how convincingly the finished drama will explore them. Its most compelling conflict is already apparent: Alexei must confront the possibility that preserving his life could require surrendering the conscience that gives that life meaning.
Confession is scheduled to make its world premiere at the Warsaw Film Festival on October 15, 2026. A special screening event in 100 selected U.S. theaters is planned for November 11, alongside its release on The Daily Wire's streaming service.
Watch the official Confession teaser.
