Reviews

This movie is firmly in the "was OK to watch but brought nothing new to the table" category. The central characters are not wholly believable, was is the first big negative for me. The unbelievable relationship dynamics was the second... and the third is the lack of consistency in their moral values and viewpoint.

As has been said before by other reviewers, the plot is pretty predictable and once the trajectory of the movie has been established (after a very shaky start I have to admit) it follows without any real surprises along the way.

The acting is mediocre at best. You've able to experience something of what she is going through but its infuriating that the men (including the doctors) are incapable of even empathizing with her inner emotional state and experience. How do you think she feels after the baby insider her, which she has felt growing and moving and kicking... suddenly being still... To have something that is lifeless inside you? The only meaningful connection for me was the lifeless and 'still' relationship she realises she has with her husband Michael.

The movie doesn't try to preach solutions, it only offers questions... which ironically annoyed me (and lost it another star). After watching this movie your just left with a dead child, a dead relationship, bankrupt morals and empty dreams and a gaping black hole where they should have been. If this movie was an attempt at answering some of the Dark Night of the Soul experiences we have in life - it failed for me. It just left me with a feeling of just how pathetic men really are...

I can't readily find fault with this movie despite being fairly critical usually... It had me hooked within the first minute and didn't let me go throughout the movie!

The characters are gritty but believable and the characterization by the two lead actresses is flawless for most of the movie. The cinematography I found to be gorgeous with a rustic and brittle edge to many of the screen shots!

The slow revelation of the histories involved in the two lead women's lives shows a deeper, more tangible side to who and why they are the people they are. Some of the flashback sequences are slightly dislocating but this doesn't seriously detract from the plot. The timing of these revelations is well thought out though and we start to realize that the first question we need to ask of anyone is what their past is that has made them who they are...

It challenges a good few precepts about femininity as well along the way but this is secondary to the relationship dynamics of the psychological mother-daughter relationship that is setup here.

It asks some deep questions about the meaning of our relationships and our purpose in life that doesn't let go right to the end. This movie doesn't hold back from any of the capricious nature of life and the consequences that it often throws in our life paths. It also shows the failure of people to deal with this on a humanistic level... often resulting in shattered and wasted lives. The violence (both emotional and physical) depicts well the struggle people have with dealing with each others 'violations', towards each other.

I'd wholeheartedly recommend you see this movie! It will have you captivated from the opening sequence of the the suicide of her cell mate that Jenny sleeps through and then awakes only to then carelessly steal the last cigarette from the dead woman's body as if this is somehow a daily occurrence to the final Four Minutes that are the summation of all that Jenny is as a human being...

I was awe struck by the telephone scene in this movie!!! It captured the moment of mental collapse of someone who has discovered that years of devotion and supposedly meaningful life has meant nothing in reality. Its shocking reality hits home in a way that I have never seen portrayed before. Having been through similar experiences I found this movie a true reflection and insight of these experiences.

The release of Edna from her life of drudgery and endless housework and instead finding true identity and meaning is a wonderful journey well explored in this movie.

Definitely a Must See!

I was both pleased to have watched this real life story and also much saddened by it. The stereotypical prejudices of men are certainly given 'full swing' here! Its worth a watch if your interested in issues of prejudice, hate crime, and obviously transsexualism and how it impacts regarding both personal understanding and wider relationships and the struggles and heartache that is caused by the congenital condition. Not easy watching and the bloody scenes at the end are graphic enough to get the message across but does not go further and touch on their emotional impact on her and her future life path. I'd personally liked to have seen a Soldiers Girl 2 continuing the story!