Six Minutes to Midnight

In August 1939, an English teacher disappears from an Anglo-German private finishing school for girls on the south coast of England. Days later, Thomas Miller (Eddie Izzard) arrives to interview for the faculty position now left vacant. Miller is hired by the headmistress Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench) on a trial period and told that among his twenty students are the daughters of the Nazi High Command. [2]

Miller begins his lessons, and all is well until one day, Miller's predecessor is found washed up on the beach near the school, leading to suspicions of foul play. As days go by, Miller begins to notice ostensible teachings of the Third Reich taking place at the school, including witnessing the girls, along with Miss Rocholl and Ilse Keller (Carla Juri), another teacher at the school, listening to a radio broadcast of Nazi propaganda. On an evening out in the local town, Miller recounts these events to Colonel Smith (David Schofield), his British Secret Service handler, who presses him to find definitive proof of Nazi collaboration at the school. During a formal gathering one night, Miller secretly overhears a conversation between Ilse and one of the guests, outlining a clandestine mission to transport the girls back to Germany the following day.

After learning of the plot, Miller rushes to tell Colonel Smith, but he is followed by Ilse, who fires at the men and kills Colonel Smith. In the confusion after the shooting, Miller is wrongly accused of murder, and he is forced to flee from police, unable to pass on the intelligence to British High Command. With Miller gone, Ilse takes over his class and begins to teach the girls to be wary of the Jews. Soon after being captured, Miller is visited in prison by two government agents, Captain Drey (James D'Arcy) and Corporal Willis (Celyn Jones), who suspect him of being a German spy. Unable to prove his identity, Miller convinces Captain Drey to accompany him back to the boarding school to fetch proof of his employment by the British government.

After Miller hands over the evidence he gathered, Captain Drey betrays him and reveals his alliance with Ilse to evacuate the girls. After a struggle, Miller breaks free and escapes the school, going on the run again. This time, however, he is picked up on the side of a road by Charlie (James Broadbent), the bus driver he met when he first arrived in town, and with Charlie's help, Miller is able to elude the double agents and relay his information to British Intelligence.

Unfortunately, by the time Miller returns to the boarding school to stop the plot, Ilsa has already fled with the girls. Together with Miss Rocholl, Miller discovers the location where the girls are to be picked up by a plane, and they set off to stop them. In the nick of time, RAF Spitfires intercept the German aircraft as it is about to land and Ilse's mission is thwarted. Finally surrounded, Ilse surrenders and the girls are returned safely to Miss Rocholl.

The next day, as Miller departs the school and is serenaded by the girls with a farewell song, Great Britain declares war on Germany.

• Eddie Izzard as Thomas Miller
• Judi Dench as Miss Rocholl
• Carla Juri as Ilse Keller
• James D'Arcy as Captain Drey
• Jim Broadbent as Charlie
• Celyn Jones as Corporal Willis
• David Schofield as Colonel Smith

In an interview with Chortle, actor Eddie Izzard finished co-writing her first script with Celyn Jones with a setting of the Second World War, taking place in Bexhill-on-Sea where Izzard grew up.[3] Izzard's former girlfriend, Sarah Townsend was originally set to direct the film following previous collaborations on documentaries with Izzard.[3] However, it was announced that the director would be Andy Goddard, who is known for his work on Downton Abbey. The same day, Judi Dench was cast as the headmistress.[4] Lionsgate will distribute the film domestically, with the international distribution rights currently up for sale.[2]

Principal photography began on July 3, 2018 and ran for six weeks, shooting in Wales and various locations around the UK.[5]

It was released in the United Kingdom on 25 September 2020.[6] It was previously scheduled to be released on 29 May 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] IFC Films distributed the film in the United States.[8]

• Six Minutes to Midnight at IMDb 
• Six Minutes to Midnight at Rotten Tomatoes