Six Minutes to Midnight: a Nick Scott Review

Regular ARTbop Film Reviewer Nick Scott has been to see the now almost period film, Six Minutes to Midnight, a film he says “you can enjoy”. Nick also says “Jim Broadbent, Judi Dench, Eddie Izzard; the presence of these three acting talents made me want to see this film,”

The screenplay was partly writen by Eddie Izzard and it is important to realise that this is not an accurate historical film. Nor is it meant to be. There is a reason why films like this one have the tagline “based on actual events” with the important word being “based”. If you go along to this film expecting a realistic historical film, then you will not enjoy it, and enjoyment is what you want to achieve at the cinema. It is an enjoyable film

The film is set in an English school in the years building up to WWII. The school has a relationship with the German community and educates girls who are the children of leaders in the Nazi Party. This alone would usually be enough to capture the interest of movie-goers but the screenplay creates some very interesting characters.

Eddie Izzard is refreshing playing a “straight” character. Many of Izzard’s parts both on stage and in film have incorporated the elements of a cross dressing man.

The camera work is also worth a mention. The lighting and other effects in the final outdoor scene on a farm somewhere near Dover are excellent.

What did I think? Yes, it is good but not a great filmic break through. Then, it never claimed to be so. You’ll enjoy yourself if you accept it as a story “based on fact”.

Nick Scott Nick Scott has a B.A from The University of Waikato where he studied film under Sam Edwards. Nick has retained a keen interest in cinema. He studied Te Reo Maori at Te Wananga O Aotearoa part-time for 3 years and then from 2014 to 2016 Nick collaborated in writing “The Traveller’s guide to Maori Place Names”. Nick is a regular Film Reviewer on ARTbop. Nick has received occasional tickets from the wonderful Rialto Cinema in Downtown Tauranga!