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Five Minutes of Heaven

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Five Minutes of Heaven
Promotional film poster
Directed byOliver Hirschbiegel
Written byGuy Hibbert
Produced byEoin O'Callaghan
Stephen Wright
StarringLiam Neeson
James Nesbitt
Anamaria Marinca
CinematographyRuairi O'Brien
Edited byHans Funck
Music byDavid Holmes
Production
companies
Big Fish Films
Element Pictures
Ruby Films
Distributed byBBC Television (United Kingdom)
IFC Films (United States)
Pathé (worldwide)
Release dates
5 April 2009 (TV)
21 August 2009 (U.S., limited)
Original channelBBC Two
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom/Ireland

Five Minutes of Heaven is a British/Irish television film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel from a script by Guy Hibbert. The first part reconstructs the killing of 19-year-old Jim Griffin by 17-year-old Alistair Little in 1975, and the second part depicts a fictional meeting between Little and Jim's brother Joe 33 years later.

The film won two awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It was broadcast on BBC Two on 5 April 2009, and has had an international theatrical release.

Plot

The first act depicts a reconstruction of the murder of 19-year-old Jim Griffin by 17-year-old Alistair Little (Mark Davison) on 29 October 1975. Jim's 11-year-old brother Joe witnesses the killing. Little goes to prison for 12 years. The second act depicts a fictional meeting between Little (Liam Neeson) and Griffin (James Nesbitt) when the two agree to meet for a television documentary 33 years after the murder. Little is unaware that Griffin plans to avenge his brother's death by killing him. The third act features Little and Griffin discussing their pasts. The last act is of Little looking in the meeting place (Griffin's old house) and the two begin arguing physically and fighting after Griffin jumps Little from behind. Little tackles Griffin through a window and the two end up lying on the outside pavement. Little shows sign of life first and checks Griffin's pulse. The two are injured and Little tells Griffin that he is returning to Belfast. Little tells Griffin to 'get rid of me' and tell his family that he killed him off because he is 'nothing' and wants Griffin to live his life with his daughters. Little is speaking metaphorically, and means for Griffin to kill Little off in his head, in so doing they can both move on. Griffin very shakily lights up a cigarette as Little pulls himself up against a wall and limps down the road.

Production

Five Minutes of Heaven was originally commissioned by BBC Four, as Hibbert did not want television executives to interfere with the script. BBC Four abandoned the project when they could not provide a bigger budget. To get more money for the film, independent production company Big Fish Films brought in other financial backers, including Northern Ireland Screen, and the film was eventually commissioned by Controller of BBC Two Roly Keating, and BBC Controller of Fiction Jane Tranter.[1][2]

Filming was done on location in Belfast, Lurgan, Glenarm and Newtownards for four weeks from May to June 2008.[2][3][4] Nesbitt met Griffin before filming began but Neeson decided to wait until after it had concluded before meeting Little; he said "I didn't want to see him before because I didn't want to be reminded of the physical differences between us and I didn't want to get that cluttered up in my head."[4][5]

Release

Five Minutes of Heaven premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on 19 January 2009. It won in the World Cinema Directed Award: Dramatic, and World Cinema Screenwriting Award categories.[6] It received its Irish premiere at the 2009 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival on 21 February 2009.[5] A screening was given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in London on 23 March 2009. It was followed by a question-and-answer session with Hirschbiegel, Hibbert and Nesbitt.[7] It was broadcast on BBC Two in England, Scotland and Wales on 5 April 2009 and on BBC One Northern Ireland on 13 April.[8] Pathé holds worldwide theatrical distribution rights.[9]

IFC Films signed a deal to distribute the film in the United States from August 2009, theatrically, through its video on demand service, and exclusively through Blockbuster retailers.[10] The film opened at the Angelika Film Center in New York on 21 August 2009.[11] It took $5,200 in box office receipts on its first weekend.[12]

Reception

Two men in a black suits.
Neeson and Nesbitt in January 2008

After Five Minutes of Heaven's Sundance screenings, Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called it "very good at stating the obvious but fails to bring new insight to this age-old morality tale". He cited the scenes featuring Mark Davison (as the young Little) and Anamaria Marinca (as a television producer) as "the only time the movie sparks to life".[13] Dennis Harvey for Variety was complimentary of Hibbert's screenplay and of Neeson's acting.[9]

Padraic Geoghegan of RTÉ Entertainment criticized the lack of screen-time given to Griffin's family, and for not showing how Little came to be helping others like him in the present-day scenes. Geoghegan praised the flashback scenes, Hirschbeigel's direction, and Neeson and Nesbitt's acting.[14] The Irish Times' Michael Dwyer rated the film four out of five stars. Of the acting, he wrote, "Nesbitt vividly portrays Griffin as a man still coiled with rage and horror by indelible memories of a living nightmare when he was a boy. And Neeson’s haunted features reveal the guilt and pain Little has carried since he committed his terrible crime."[15] Andrew Johnston for Culture Northern Ireland wrote, "Unlike some other Ulster-set pictures, Five Minutes of Heaven presents real people with real emotions, rather than political caricatures or slavish impersonations. There’s a slight sense that most of the budget went on securing Neeson, but the minimalist soundtrack, grotty colour scheme and amateurish fight scenes help underline the emptiness of the lead characters and the desolation of their predicament."[16]

References

  1. ^ Hemley, Matthew (5 March 2009). "Hibbert criticises commissioners for wielding too much power". The Stage Online. Retrieved on 21 March 2009.
  2. ^ a b Holmwood, Leigh (8 May 2008). "Nesbitt and Neeson set for Ulster drama". guardian.co.uk (Guardian News and Media). Retrieved on 8 May 2008.
  3. ^ Staff (20 February 2009). "Stars 'change sides' for Troubles film". The News Letter (Johnston Press).
  4. ^ a b McLean, Craig (30 March 2009). "Liam Neeson interview - on his role in 'Five Minutes of Heaven'". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group).
  5. ^ a b Coleman, Maureen (21 February 2009). "Neeson and Nesbitt: the real-life bravery behind our new Troubles drama". Belfast Telegraph (Independent News and Media (Northern Ireland)).
  6. ^ McCarthy, Todd (24 January 2009). "'Push' wins big at Sundance Awards". Variety (Reed Business Information).
  7. ^ "Access All Areas: March 2009". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on 1 April 2009.
  8. ^ "BBC Two Programmes: Five Minutes of Heaven". BBC Online. Retrieved on 24 August 2009.
  9. ^ a b Harvey, Dennis (21 January 2009). "Five Minutes of Heaven Movie Review From The Sundance Film Festival". Variety (Reed Business Media).
  10. ^ Kay, Jeremy (8 May 2009). "IFC takes US rights to drama Five Minutes Of Heaven". ScreenDaily.com (Emap Media). Retrieved on 8 May 2009.
  11. ^ Staff (24 August 2009). "Goings on About Town: Movies". New Yorker. Retrieved on 25 August 2009.
  12. ^ DiOrio, Carl (23 August 2009). "'Basterds' wins weekend". The Hollywood Reporter (Nielsen Business Media). Retrieved on 24 August 2009.
  13. ^ Honeycutt, Kirk (20 January 2009). "Film Review: Five Minutes of Heaven". The Hollywood Reporter (Nielsen Business Media).
  14. ^ Geoghegan, Padraic (26 February 2009). "Five Minutes of Heaven". RTÉ Entertainment. Retrieved on 21 March 2009.
  15. ^ Dwyer, Michael (27 February 2009). "Five Minutes of Heaven". The Irish Times.
  16. ^ Johnston, Andrew (26 February 2009). "Film Review: Five Minutes of Heaven". Culture Northern Ireland. Retrieved on 21 March 2009.

Further reading

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