The acting is excellent.
Comment
04/28/08
Four Minutes (2007)
76 %
Reviews Counted: 21 Fresh: 16 Rotten:5 Average Rating: 6.5/10
Consensus:
This riveting German drama set in a women's prison has the strong foundation of a solid script and psychologically resonant performances across the board.
Rated: 15
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Theatrical Release: 07-03-2008
Synopsis: This German drama from director Chris Kraus explores the intense relationship between a female prisoner and an older woman. A piano teacher, who is the older of the two, connects with the younger woman through classical music and eventually much more.... [More]
Genre: Foreign Films
Starring: Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, Nadja Uhl
Director: Chris Kraus
Screenwriter: Chris Kraus
Producer: Meike Kordes, Alexandra Kordes
Composer: Annette Focks
Screenwriter: Chris Kraus
Producer: Meike Kordes, Alexandra Kordes
Composer: Annette Focks
Reviews
Top Critic
Engaging and frequently surprising German drama with a sharply written script and compelling performances from its two leads.
03/06/08
Bleibtreu and Herzsprung embody their characters with such vicious monstrousity that it's hard to forget that they're merely actors.
05/02/08
Psychological insights and powerhouse performances combine to form a consistently engaging narrative.
04/30/08
So relentlessly oppressive it suffocates its potentially strong themes and characterizations.
04/25/08
Top Critic
There are the odd few tender moments, but they are only brief interludes between more sturm und drang.
04/21/08
A women-behind-bars plot seething with lesbianism, incest, hanging and catfights -- on paper, at least, Four Minutes promises more fun than a Roger Corman marathon.
04/18/08
Top Critic
Pitched at deafening hysteria, Chris Kraus’s film might have fared better in moderato.
04/17/08
Though not to be confused with Madonna's new single, Four Minutes is similarly built from cliché.
04/16/08
Although the tone of the film drifts precariously toward the self-serious, writer/director Chris Kraus redeems himself with snatches of dark jailhouse humor and a quiet attentiveness to minute gradations of human feeling.
04/16/08
Through the despair and stormy interactions of the two main characters, we scrape beneath their crusty exterior surfaces and get a glimpse at the hurt and hopefulness within.
12/21/07
A riveting film-going experience, Four Minutes may prove "too German" for many non-German-speaking audiences.
07/10/07
A riveting film that defies every expectation, Four Minutes is German Cinema at its most potent and provocative
06/22/07
Unfortunately, after almost two hours the gloom becomes monotonous and the one-dimensional characters wear out their welcome.
05/24/07
Top Critic
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