A series interconnecting stories takes place over the same 11 minutes in Warsaw with each person’s fate tied together without either of them knowing in this latest thriller from acclaimed director Jerzy Skolimowski. Watch the trailer and read on.
A high concept film that shifts, jumps and changes perspectives over the course of 11 minutes, the story witnesses several people’s live prior to a connected calamity. Fast-paced and purposefully random, we see a sleazy Hollywood director audition a young, beautiful but naive married actress in a creepy casting couch moment, a hotdog vendor trying to set up shop, hiding a dark secret, a drug dealer fleeing on a motorcycle, and lots more. Each have a history and each seem separate but are all part of the same plight.
It’s a theme seen before, perhaps best known in 2004’s Oscar winning Crash, where seemingly unconnected stories suddenly come together. Renowned Polish writer/director Jerzy Skolimowski, who has been making films since the 1960s, has always been on the cutting edge. With 11 Minutes, a period of time he publically admits is more metaphorical than strictly adhered to in the film, he experiments with a more flashy style, trying to give the experience a richer organic tone. A mixed language movie, the action is hyped and orchestrated in a crescendo, building to a singular climax.
With a cast of mostly Polish actors, the trailer is sexy and wildly perplexing, promising a mystery with many layers. Whether that is sustainable over the short runtime (the film is an hour and twenty minutes) is a concern. Perhaps more an exercise in chaos rather than a tightly written narrative, 11 Minutes might be just a fun experiment instead of a proper movie experience. Either way, it’s good to see that Skolimowski, at 78, is still trying to innovate.
11 Minutes opens in limited release, April, 2016.