Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

KaiBargmann A lot has been said about the plot, so I'm not going to repeat the obvious. However, I would like to criticize the generally positive reviews: While the sets and the photography are superb, the acting was awful. I thought I was witnessing an actor's workshop aiming at maximum intensity; in many scenes the characters acted unbelievably, with all their shouting, rage and fear.This was increased by the awful, superficial and stereotyped script: The piano teacher was a lesbian (of course), suffering because she was forced to suppress her feelings by the society, i.o.w. Germany in Nazi times. How many timwa will we have to deal with this? Why not make characters more believable by making them less extreme? Same goes for the student.So there you go: Three out of ten. I am sorry, but don't let the award and the enthusiasm of others fool you; instead, use some common sense.

paul2001sw-1 'Four Minutes' tells the story of the clash of two women of iron will: one a convicted murderer, the other an aged piano teacher. There's a lot to like in the premise, but the film never completely transcends it; and there's a certain quantity of pointless time-shifting (two scenes shown in a scrambled chronological order) which failed, from my perspective, to add anything to the film. What I did like was the absence of easy answers: two damaged people connect, but only a little, and never well enough to wholly bridge the gulf between them; and although there's a conventional, contest-focused storyline, the film is never just about who will win, even if it never truly reaches the depths it aspires to.

Doug Taylor An elderly spinster piano teacher in a womens prison,Mrs.Kruger, takes one of the inmates,Jenny,under her wing.The teacher loves music but can't connect with people.Jenny is young and absolutely gifted,but hates playing because it brings back a personal trauma from her past.The teacher tries to teach the student about respect,whilst the student reminds the teacher what it's like to be young and emotional.There are sub plots concerning both of their respective past personal lives but basically,it is just about two characters from vastly different generations and backgrounds who form an uneasy alliance in a harsh environment,and both of them benefit from the experience.Keep a box of tissues handy because the film is an emotional roller-coaster.I have no doubt that if they remade this in Hollywood with A-list stars, (which they probably eventually will),that it would clean up at the Oscars.But I guarantee that it would not be as good as this movie.Four Minutes (Vier Minuten) is actually about 110 minutes,and pretty much every one of them is worthy.A must see movie.

susanna_uk I can't readily find fault with this movie despite being fairly critical usually... It had me hooked within the first minute and didn't let me go throughout the movie!The characters are gritty but believable and the characterization by the two lead actresses is flawless for most of the movie. The cinematography I found to be gorgeous with a rustic and brittle edge to many of the screen shots!The slow revelation of the histories involved in the two lead women's lives shows a deeper, more tangible side to who and why they are the people they are. Some of the flashback sequences are slightly dislocating but this doesn't seriously detract from the plot. The timing of these revelations is well thought out though and we start to realize that the first question we need to ask of anyone is what their past is that has made them who they are...It challenges a good few precepts about femininity as well along the way but this is secondary to the relationship dynamics of the psychological mother-daughter relationship that is setup here.It asks some deep questions about the meaning of our relationships and our purpose in life that doesn't let go right to the end. This movie doesn't hold back from any of the capricious nature of life and the consequences that it often throws in our life paths. It also shows the failure of people to deal with this on a humanistic level... often resulting in shattered and wasted lives. The violence (both emotional and physical) depicts well the struggle people have with dealing with each others 'violations', towards each other.I'd wholeheartedly recommend you see this movie! It will have you captivated from the opening sequence of the the suicide of her cell mate that Jenny sleeps through and then awakes only to then carelessly steal the last cigarette from the dead woman's body as if this is somehow a daily occurrence to the final Four Minutes that are the summation of all that Jenny is as a human being...