The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce

Plot synopsis:
In 1819, two young Irish men travel to the other side of the world. Alexander Pearce, a farm labourer, is sentenced to seven years in the new penal colony of Van Diemens Land. His crime is the theft of six pairs of shoes. Phillip Connolly, a Catholic priest, is sent to administer religious guidance to the damned of Hobart Town, the most isolated settlement on earth.Within six months, Alexander Pearce has been flogged over 200 times for a variety of misdemenours and finds himself en route to Sarah Island. He is thought beyond salvation and will soon be brutalised, tortured and degraded beyond comprehension. Consumed by thoughts of escape, Pearce quickly falls in with like-minded convicts and the English ex mariner Greenhill. Between them, they hatch an escape plan. Soon eight men crash into the rain-forest with little other than an axe, and a plan to go where no white man has gone before - across the extreme wilderness of Tasmania.The British authorities doesnt waste time or valuable men pursuing them. They will surely all die within days.Hunger sets in and quickly the awful decision to eat one of the group is reached. Dalton, the convict flogger is the logical choice. Greenhill slits his throat and the butcher Travers decapitates him. All but two of the group take Dalton's flesh.Within weeks only Greenhill and Pearce are left alive. It is nearly 50 days since they escaped. Both men are close to death - and potential freedom. Greenhill is overcome with exhaustion and Pearce seizes the opportunity and murders him.When Pearce is eventually captured by British authorities he readily confesses his crimes. The magistrate refuses to believe him. Irishman or not, no European could resort to such depravity and Pearce is sent back to Sarah Island to complete the remainder of his sentence.Within weeks Pearce escapes again with the help of a young English convict Thomas Cox. When the authorities catch up with Pearce, he is lying beside the decimated remains of Cox.The Commandant of Sarah Island, Lieutenant Cuthbertson extracts the first confession from Pearce and it forms the basis of his subsequent trial. A jury of seven non-commissioned British officers find Alexander Pearce guilty of murder and cannibalism and he is sentenced to death.During his six months incarcerated in the Hobart Gaol, Alexander Pearce meets Father Phillip Connolly. Both men are from the same part of Ireland and know of each other. In the darkness of the gaol Alexander Pearce confesses everything to Father Connolly. Connollys faith in his God is tested by what he hears.Alexander Pearce is executed on the 19th July 1824. Under orders from the Judge, his body is dissected for science.This is the remarkable story of how one man endured the unimaginable by doing the unthinkable.

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
A captivating confession of cannibalism.
Alexander Pearce was not a hero, he was not a character that you immediately feel sorry for; but he was a man who lived in the most desolate penal colony in Australia.
A man driven to escape from the cruelty he endured.
A man who yearned for his freedom and would do anything to survive the harshness of his surrounds.
The documentary is cleverly driven by narration from the man who he confessed to, a Catholic priest and fellow Irishman.
It captures the ruggedness of the bush, the desperation of the human condition and the cruel and barbarous English occupation of Tasmania.
The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce is a well paced, well told and captivating confession of cannibalism..
top marks.
The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce blew me away...
it is by far the most intense piece I've seen in ages.
Not in the least gruesome or hard to watch - on the contrary, it is beautifully shot and paced, with a haunting soundtrack and scenery out of this world.
You could have heard a pin drop at the preview screening at Clones Film Festival this year.
Excellent performances from Ciaran McMenamin, Adrian Dunbar and the rest of the cast.
And a true story of complete desperation at the end of the world.
The last taboo....
I couldn't decide if the film should have been longer or if I'd seen enough after barely an hour.
I believe the latter to be the case - it packs such a punch in such a short time and is so well edited that it's job is well and truly done..
One man's hunger is another's worst fear..
This is the story of Alexander Pearce, an Irish Convict taken to Australia by the British.The story is a gripping tale about survival and hunger amongst a group of convicts.A story that will surely make one sit back and wonder if they would do the same thing given the same circumstances.The story of Alexander Pearce will have you stuck to your seat, but at the same time, may have you running for the nearest bathroom.A truly fascinating and well acted story.Recommended!.
Excellent acting - great story.
This movie shows us all what we already know deep down.
No one can judge someone else's actions unless he or she has been in the same situation.
That's why people should always be careful when claiming "I could/would never do *whatever action*".
I can't agree more with Philip Conolly's words:"The world is always easier understood held at a distance with tales of monsters and the like." and "A full belly is prerequisite to all manner of good.
Without that no man knows what hunger will make him do."Beautiful nature shots, good music, great acting, great story.
It's rather short though but isn't that just the charming Irish, strong, silent type way of doing things?
:)Definitely recommended..
Confessions of a Cannibal.
'The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce' depicts a horrific account based on the confession of a petty Irish thief.
The movie is just about a mere hour long (pretty tight editing!) and yet it leaves the viewer with an unsettling feeling.
Filmed beautifully, the natural Tasmanian landscape looks stunning, isolated, unfriendly and unsympathetic.
It still astonished me how the characters were driven to participate in such heinous acts.
The way it starts by them selecting the youngest member, sends a chill down the spine.
Could their criminal past having something to do with the decision-making?
Did their time in prison cause them to become savages?
Was it all just hunger driven?
Some questions also arise as to why Mather didn't kill Greenhill when he had the chance (since Greenhill clearly intended to finish him off)?
Why didn't Pearce and Mather run their separate ways any sooner?
The use of not-so-well known actors gives it less of a typical movie-like feel.
All the actors look and act authentic.
Dunbar and Mcmenamin are brilliant in the conversational scene.
Given the short running time, I was surprised as to how quickly it finished and wished it was longer.
However I doubt whether it would have been as effective..
The story of an Irish petty thief, hanged for murder and cannibalism.
Great story and well told, with good actors and good cinematography.We all think that we are not capable of such monstrous acts, but The Last Confession of Alexander Pierce might have you think otherwise.
It attempts to show how an Irish thief came to be a cannibal, and in my opinion it succeeds.
It depicts how Man can, given the right(wrong) circumstances, is able to stoop into the lowest regions of the human mind.
Given that it is a true story gives it credibility.
At least I was left with the thought that had it been me, I might have done the same thing.
It is very short though, just an hour long but still well worth the watch.