Six Minutes to Midnight movie review by Movie Review Mom

MOVIE TITLE: Six Minutes to Midnight

Currently in select theaters and Video On Demand

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RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL:

It’s summer in 1939 in England where some influential families from Nazi Germany have sent their daughters to a finishing school. This dramatic movie by IFC Films was directed by Andy Goddard who is most known for his work on the epic, British TV series Downton Abbey. He also helped write it with the help of Eddie Izzard and Celyn Jones. Eddie Izzard also plays the role of Thomas Miller in the film.

The period film is loosely based on a true story about Augusta Victoria College in England, named after the last empress of Germany. It opened in 1932 and closed in 1939 after the invasion of Poland by Germany, starting World War II. The title of the movie refers to the infamous Doomsday Clock, symbolically marking the end of the human race. It was actually created by scientists in 1947, two years after the end of the war, warning mankind to treat the planet and each other better. The numbers 1-1-5-4 stand for six minutes to midnight and were used in the telephone code to verify a British spy’s credibility.

Isn’t it amazing that it has been almost 80 years since World War II began and yet we’re still learning new stories about what happened during that time period?!

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

German is spoken quite a bit in Act 3 with English subtitles.
Young children won’t understand the significance of German Nazi daughters in England right before the war and what it meant to the national security of Great Britain.
Some violence
Children will be bored.

THEMES:

Respect in differences
Trust
Appearances
Truth and lies
Loyalties to people and countries
Education
Persuasion
Identity
courage

THINGS I LIKED:

Dame Judi Dench doesn’t seem to have slowed down at all in her movie-making! She has pumped out quite a few movies in recent years! She was perfect in this role and always has such a great presence on screen in everything she does.
Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent has a small role but shines whenever he’s on-screen.
As mentioned, Eddie Izzard helped write the screenplay and does an excellent job in the role of Thomas Miller. He does a lot of running and action in the movie and I was exhausted and even laughed at the mileage he covered in a short time as he’s running for his life in certain scenes. I heard this film was a passion project of his. His family is from Bexhill, so he knew of the real Augusta Victoria school and wanted to turn it into a WWII drama. Rumor has it that the idea for the film came from a patch on a school jacket that had both the British and German flags. There hasn’t been much marketing or buzz about it, sadly, so I think it’s going to fly under the radar for most moviegoers.
The entire cast of this thriller was really great and also includes Nigel Lindsay, Carla Juri, and Maria Dragus.
Beautiful cinematography of Wales.
Twists. I love twists!
The trailer is really good.
The production design looks and feels authentic.
Because my ancestry is both German and British, I was fascinated with the idea of this historic German-English alliance right before World War II. As a young girl, my family never talked about our German heritage, as if we didn’t want anyone to think we came from a long line of Nazis or something!

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Due to the subject matter, I think, this movie will appeal mostly to older audiences or those in England.
The movie feels very uneven in tone and pacing.
There isn’t much humor.
The movie claims to be based on a true story, but the only real part of the movie is the fact that there was a school like this; however, the events that occur are pure fiction.
Some scenes last too long while others are rushed.
I was intrigued by the story, although I’ve talked with others who were bored.

INTERESTING LINES:

“Isa, what happened to you?” – Miss Rocholl (Dame Judi Dench) “I grew up.” – Ilse (Carla Juri)
“England can be an unforgiving place…if you happen to be German.” – Miss Rocholl (Dame Judi Dench)

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@TrinaBoice

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