Vier Minuten (2006)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Chris Kraus

Writer:

Chris Kraus (writer)

Release Date:

18 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

The next German film sensation after The Lives of Others

Plot:

An elderly piano teacher trains a young convict at a women's penitentiary.

Plot Keywords:

Piano | Prison | Lesbian Interest | Gay Interest

Awards:

21 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Monica Bleibtreu	...	Traude
Hannah Herzsprung	...	Jenny
Sven Pippig	...	Mütze
Richy Müller	...	Kowalski
Jasmin Tabatabai	...	Ayse
Stefan Kurt	...	Direktor Meyerbeer
Vadim Glowna	...	Gerhard von Loeben
Nadja Uhl	...	Nadine Hoffmann
Peter Davor	...	Journalist Wahrig
Edita Malovcic	...	Traude - jung
Christian Koerner	...	SS-Sturmbannführer
Kathrin Kestler	...	Hannah
Amber Bongard	...	Clara Mütze
Dietrich Hollinderbäumer	...	Pater Vincens
Dieter Moor	...	TV-Moderator

Also Known As:

4 Minutes (International: English title)
Four Minutes (International: English title)
Nur für Mozart (Germany) (working title)

Runtime:

112 min | Canada:112 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Technicolor) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo

Certification:

Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | South Korea:12 | Czech Republic:12 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R13

Filming Locations:

Luckau, Brandenburg, Germany

Company:

Arte

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In several sequences where we see Jenny playing the piano, the notes we hear do not correspond to the keys she plays.

Movie Connections:

References The Blues Brothers (1980)

Exciting and thought-provoking film!

I am still feeling quite spellbound, after seeing the film "Vier Minuten" this evening! The director's

opening sequence, with skillful use of silence and a relatively slow pace, immediately caught my attention. The photography was excellent and the acting superb. The story, although slightly contrived, was engaging. I feel that the subplot was not really connected to the main story and could have been developed further. The music was most enjoyable, but I feel that, although music features to a large extent in the film, it is not meant to be a showcase for the music, but rather as a tool to explore the relationship between Frau Krueger and Jenny. This is exceptionally well depicted and the acting absolutely brilliant!

I feel that there is a great depth to this film, which probably needs more analysis than I have had time to give it. I should like to see the film again and wish I could see a version without sub-titles. It is so tempting to peek, thereby missing all the nuances of the wonderful characterizations.

I would recommend this film to anyone interested in intelligent acting and who wants to be able to reflect on a film's deeper meaning, rather than just be superficially entertained. I enjoyed "Vier Minuten" and although it was set in a rather grim environment, I found it uplifting, rather than depressing!