What happens if someone is accused of a crime they didn’t commit? One teacher sees the consequences of an oncoming war as they face those serious allegations in “Six Minutes to Midnight.” The film encapsulates a world on the brink of World War II: cautious, anxious, judgemental, and terrifying.
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At the forefront of the project is Eddie Izzard; over the years her work has grown to include credits in numerous films and series as well as a successful writing career. Izzard takes center stage as a teacher stepping into a dangerous situation, but she’s also behind the camera as co-writer/executive producer. Taking on the project was important to the star, something she spoke about in 2018. “So the story is fictitious, but the time it’s based in and around is true, and hopefully it can resonate. The politics of what’s happening now shows what happened back in the ’30s was not a German problem, it’s a human problem,” Izzard told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “Any country can suddenly swing to the right-wing and have someone come along and make things up. We seem to be back into ’30s, ’40s politics yet again.”
The co-writer and producer is joined by a prestigious cast that features Judi Dench; it was a friendship with Izzard that brought her to the project. Dench is joined by Carla Juri, James D’Arcy, Celyn Jones, and Jim Broadbent. Like the film’s star, Jones does double duty as both co-writer and actor.
Here’s the film’s synopsis:
“Based on true events from 1939, the film follows teacher Thomas Miller (Izzard) who has taken a last-minute and controversial role teaching English to the daughters of high-ranking Nazis at the Augusta-Victoria College, Bexhill-on-Sea – a finishing school on the south coast of England. Under the watchful eye of their headmistress Miss Rocholl (Dench), and her devout assistant Ilse Keller, the girls practice their English and learn how to represent the ideal of German womanhood. When the body of a former teacher is discovered, it triggers a sequence of deadly events and leaves Thomas running from the police with the threat of being hanged for murder.”
Andy Goddard directs “Six Minutes to Midnight.” The IFC Films release is scheduled to hit theaters on March 26. Watch the trailer below.