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)

Tormented Souls

In Germany, the elder Frau Traude Krueger (Monica Bleibtreu) gives piano classes in a prison for a few prisoners and the security guard Mütze (Sven Pippig). When she sees the rebel and aggressive Jenny Von Loeben (Hannah Herzsprung) playing piano, she immediately identifies her potential and offers to teach her for a competition. Frau Krueger finds that Jenny was a prodigy when she was a child; abused when she was a teenager and has been imprisoned for murdering and decapitating a man. Along the period they work together preparing for the exhibition, Frau Krueger discloses secrets about her love in World War II while the self-destructive Jenny has four minutes of glory and recognition of her talent.

"Vier Minuten" is another powerful and engaging German movie, disclosing the story of two women having nothing in common but their passion for music and tormented souls. The non-linear beginning is quite confused, but provocative and intriguing (I saw this movie on DVD and I watched the first chapters again to get a better understanding); however, after ten minutes, the story becomes intelligible with the development of the characters, supported by magnificent performances and wonderful cinematography. The story is deep and touching, and viewers that enjoy superficial Hollywoodian fairy tales may not like this dense drama developed in low-pace. Monica Bleibtreu and the lovely Hannah Herzsprung have top-notch performances that deserved nomination to the Oscar. The conclusion is thrilling and heartbreaking, and will probably make the eyes of sensitive viewers wet. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Quatro Minutos" ("Four Minutes")