Five Minutes of Heaven - DVD

Film: The mid-1970s in Northern Ireland: life here is dominated by the bloody clashes between the Catholic IRA and the Protestant Ulster Volunteer Force. 16-year-old Alistair Little also becomes embroiled in the deadly clashes when he decides to shoot James Griffin, a Catholic, not only to send a warning to his Catholic neighbourhood but also to earn respect among his friends. Joe, James' 11-year-old brother, witnesses the gruesome murder, an act that will destroy the lives of the entire Griffin family.

30 years later, a meeting between Joe and Alistair is brokered by a TV station. In front of running cameras it should come to the reconciliation of the both, with what a sign for the peace process in Northern Ireland should be set. But Joe is not in the mood for reconciliation. Even 30 years after the murder of his brother, he only wants one thing: revenge!

Oliver Hirschbiegel, director of "The Experiment" and "The Downfall", does not even try to grasp the Northern Ireland conflict as a whole and make it comprehensible. Rather, he focuses on the lives of two men who are still haunted by events from their youth several decades later. After all the murders, after all the pain and hatred, is there even the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation? Guy Hibbert's very good script, which draws on facts and interviews with the real Joe and Alistair in the first half hour, when the 1975 crime is shown in intense images, spins the story fictitiously and asks what would happen if these two men actually met today.

This encounter could easily have turned out cheesy and implausible. But the sensitive staging and especially the strong acting of the two leads prevent this from happening. Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt deliver very haunting performances, which Hirschbiegel and his team have captured in engaging images. After the poignant beginning, there are a few minor lags, but overall this drama manages to captivate until the end.

"Five Minutes of Heaven" is an example worth seeing of how the past dominates the present, how hatred and prejudice can eat away at the soul, and how generations to come will also suffer from the mistakes of their ancestors. In the end, a small spark of hope remains, yet Hirschbiegel skillfully avoids unnecessary sugarcoating. All this makes the film for lovers of sophisticated dramas absolutely recommendable!

Picture + Sound: Thanks to the atmospheric coloring and the overall good overall sharpness, the overall very clean picture can definitely convince. The sound remains largely unspectacular, with the dialogue dominating the action sounding more powerful in the original English version and the mix more harmonious overall. For the German language version, the slightly better DTS mix is preferable to the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.

Extras: In addition to some not uninteresting promotional interviews with the main actors and the creators, the DVD also features a nearly 8-minute, uncommented look at the filming, as well as the trailer in German and English. Not mind-blowing, but worth watching!

Conclusion: "Five Minutes of Heaven" is a haunting drama carried by the strong acting of the two leads. The DVD is technically well realized and still has some interesting interviews to offer. For lovers of sophisticated dramas absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp