ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

AWARD-WINNING German melodrama Four Minutes has been described as ‘Prisoner Cell Block H-meets-Shine’. That's not a subtle description but then there are times when its not a very subtle film. It is a compelling, expertly acted story charting the unlikely connection that develops between an elderly teacher and a fiercely self-destructive prisoner.

Monica Bleibtreu stars as Traude, a stern spinster who has survived everything that life has thrown at her from the death of her female lover at the hands of the Nazis to thankless years of teaching the piano to prison inmates.

Hannah Herzsprung is Jenny, a seemingly heartless young woman who resents all authority and will do anything to escape from the prison where she is serving a sentence for murder.

Herzsprung is very convincing as Jenny. She is harsh, unsentimental and never begs for our sympathy. She appears to have no regard for anyone but herself and even steals the last cigarette from the corpse of her dead cellmate.

We also come to recognise that she is her own worst enemy. Traude can see that beneath her wild bluster, there is a vulnerable, needy human being who has a singular gift for playing the piano. If she could learn a little discipline and respect, Jenny could dazzle the world as a concert pianist.

The relationship between the two women is at the heart of a tough, often lurid tale. The story unfolds in broad brush strokes but the sweeping emotions at the core of the story are ultimately very touching. Four Minutes may have its flaws but it is hard to resist the pull of this heartfelt tale.

Selected Nationwide release

Director: Chris Kraus
Stars: Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, Sven Pippig, Richy Muller, Jasmin Tabatabai.
Screenwriter: Chris Kraus
Certificate: 15
Running time: 112 mins
Country: Germany
Year: 2006

© Allan Hunter, 2008