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Craig Hill
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Oracle of DelphiGerman auteur Chris Kraus' 'Four Minutes'
April 5th 2008 01:50
A fiercely expressive story of a veteran piano teacher’s tense relationship with a volatile and disturbed young piano prodigy incarcerated in a women’s prison. With an exquisitely rendered performance from veteran German actress Monica Bleibtreu, and an intense film debut from Hannah Herzsprung, writer/director Chris Krause has crafted a film packed with lasting imagery and radiant classical music. ‘Four Minutes’ is German Cinema at its most potent and provocative. Winner of 32 international awards, including two German Oscars (Best Film, Best Actress) and four Bavarian Film Awards.
Synopsis
Traude Krüger (German Oscar winner Monica Bleibtreu) is a repressed and withered piano instructor, teaching for over 60 years at a women's prison. Traude has been haunted with regret for most of her life, as she was forced to betray her dissident female lover during World War II in order to protect her own musical career. When she meets Jenny von Loeben (Hannah Herzsprung), a former child musical prodigy and convicted killer with a volcanic and self-destructive temper, music becomes their unlikely yet powerful bond.
Each is looking for a way out of their imprisoned lives, and an uneasy mentorship develops as Traude grooms Jenny for a prestigious piano competition. Jenny’s wild passion and tremendous musical talent ignite them both - as Traude is determined to exorcise her own pain, and Jenny must confront the destructive darkness of her past. In the end, alone on the competition stage, Jenny must channel her ferocious energy and pain into one final, magnificent musical performance.
“I have always been fascinated by the wildness, the power, and also that inexplicable element that is at the core of all artistic endeavors”, says ‘Four Minutes’ writer/director Chris Kraus, and with impressive conviction and clarity, his film explores that extraordinary place where artistic expression, liberation, and human connection meet for two impassioned, searching souls.
Writer/director Chris Kraus worked as a journalist and illustrator before studying at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin from 1991 – 1998. Kraus has been nominated twice for German Academy Awards for his screenplays, and for ten years has been considered one of Germany’s most acclaimed film writers. In 2002, Shattered Glass marked his feature directorial debut, winning ten national and international awards, including two Bavarian Film Awards (Best New Director and Best Actress, Margit Carstensen), the German Screenplay Award, and the New Talent Award for the Best New Director. Kraus has also received several awards for directing achievement, including the 2003 Bavarian Film Award. ‘Four Minutes’ is Kraus’ second film directing effort.
’Four Minutes’ has wowed audiences and critics internationally, winning numerous awards. In 2007 the film received eight German Oscar nominations, and won two - Best Film and Best Actress. Other awards include four 2007 Bavarian Film Awards; Audience Award – Best Feature, Hamptons International Film Festival; Best Film – Shanghai International Film Festival; and the Audience Award Winner – Feature Film, Frameline LBGT International Film Festival. The film has opened internationally to wide acclaim, including recent releases in Germany, France, Italy, and the UK.
’Four Minutes’ was written, directed and co-produced by Chris Kraus, and features Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, and Jasmin Tabatabai. The film was produced by Meike Kordes and Alexandra Kordes of Kordes and Kordes Film Production, and is the premiere U.S. theatrical release of international distribution/production company Autobahn, a division of German company Senator Film Produktion GmbH and Senator Film Verleih Gmbh.
Theatrical Release Dates and Theatres:
Los Angeles Friday, April 25th in LA (Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills)
New York City Friday, April 18th NYC (Cinema Village)
Traude Krüger (German Oscar winner Monica Bleibtreu) is a repressed and withered piano instructor, teaching for over 60 years at a women's prison. Traude has been haunted with regret for most of her life, as she was forced to betray her dissident female lover during World War II in order to protect her own musical career. When she meets Jenny von Loeben (Hannah Herzsprung), a former child musical prodigy and convicted killer with a volcanic and self-destructive temper, music becomes their unlikely yet powerful bond.
Traude (Monica Bleibtreu) instructs Jenny (Hannah Herzsprung) in Chris Kraus’ ‘Four Minutes’
Each is looking for a way out of their imprisoned lives, and an uneasy mentorship develops as Traude grooms Jenny for a prestigious piano competition. Jenny’s wild passion and tremendous musical talent ignite them both - as Traude is determined to exorcise her own pain, and Jenny must confront the destructive darkness of her past. In the end, alone on the competition stage, Jenny must channel her ferocious energy and pain into one final, magnificent musical performance.
“I have always been fascinated by the wildness, the power, and also that inexplicable element that is at the core of all artistic endeavors”, says ‘Four Minutes’ writer/director Chris Kraus, and with impressive conviction and clarity, his film explores that extraordinary place where artistic expression, liberation, and human connection meet for two impassioned, searching souls.
Writer/director Chris Kraus worked as a journalist and illustrator before studying at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin from 1991 – 1998. Kraus has been nominated twice for German Academy Awards for his screenplays, and for ten years has been considered one of Germany’s most acclaimed film writers. In 2002, Shattered Glass marked his feature directorial debut, winning ten national and international awards, including two Bavarian Film Awards (Best New Director and Best Actress, Margit Carstensen), the German Screenplay Award, and the New Talent Award for the Best New Director. Kraus has also received several awards for directing achievement, including the 2003 Bavarian Film Award. ‘Four Minutes’ is Kraus’ second film directing effort.
’Four Minutes’ has wowed audiences and critics internationally, winning numerous awards. In 2007 the film received eight German Oscar nominations, and won two - Best Film and Best Actress. Other awards include four 2007 Bavarian Film Awards; Audience Award – Best Feature, Hamptons International Film Festival; Best Film – Shanghai International Film Festival; and the Audience Award Winner – Feature Film, Frameline LBGT International Film Festival. The film has opened internationally to wide acclaim, including recent releases in Germany, France, Italy, and the UK.
’Four Minutes’ was written, directed and co-produced by Chris Kraus, and features Monica Bleibtreu, Hannah Herzsprung, and Jasmin Tabatabai. The film was produced by Meike Kordes and Alexandra Kordes of Kordes and Kordes Film Production, and is the premiere U.S. theatrical release of international distribution/production company Autobahn, a division of German company Senator Film Produktion GmbH and Senator Film Verleih Gmbh.
Theatrical Release Dates and Theatres:
Los Angeles Friday, April 25th in LA (Laemmle Music Hall, Beverly Hills)
New York City Friday, April 18th NYC (Cinema Village)
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
The buzz on this one entices me and your critique has further my anticipation...I hope it arrives in Australia soon.
Comment by Scott Rosenberg
A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That