Six Minutes to Midnight (2020), directed by Andy Goddard

The Augusta-Victoria School in Sussex was a real place that served as a finishing school for the daughters and god-daughters of the Nazi high command. It operated from 1932 to 1939 on the south coast of England. This is an intriguing setting for a film in the febrile summer prior to WWII, when war seemed inevitable but there were strong Nazi sympathies and a movement for appeasement rather than conflict. The schoolgirls make ideal political pawns for both sides, with the potential for a great war story from a different angle. Unfortunately the script is an unholy mess, with yawning plot holes and increasingly unlikely actions. The underlying theme of how difficult it can be to tell the good guys from the bad is overdone and heavy-handed. Judi Dench performs as expected as the headmistress; Eddie Izzard makes a suitable teacher/spy, but is an unconvincing action hero. This film has style but just doesn’t deliver on substance.