Four Minutes DVD, 2006

Frau Krüger teaches piano to the inmates of a women’s prison. She’s a sour and stiff-necked old woman, one who lacks any rapport with her pupils. However, she’s about ... more >

Frau Krüger teaches piano to the inmates of a women’s prison. She’s a sour and stiff-necked old woman, one who lacks any rapport with her pupils. However, she’s about to meet Jenny. Before she was incarcerated, Jenny showed great promise as a pianist. As Frau Krüger helps Jenny nurture her gift, she finds herself confronting a past she’d tried to forget.

Coming on the heels of Requiem and The Lives of Others, Four Minutes confirms the rude health of modern German filmmaking. Writer / director Kraus shows great sensitivity in his portrait of these two damaged souls, building vivid characters and resisting easy sentimentality. He’s helped immeasurably by the performances from the two actresses at the film’s heart. Bleibtreu and Herzsprung play off each other superbly, brilliantly realising the relationship between these very different musicians. A more intimate film than some recent German triumphs, Four Minutes is just as worthwhile. Even if it is played in a minor key, it manages to hit all the right notes. < less

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