Five Minutes of Heaven
Synopsis
Since the outbreak of Peace, Northern Ireland wrestles with the question of how to forgive the seemingly unforgivable.
Five Minutes of Heaven traces the lives of two Ulstermen; one a murderer, the other the brother of the man he killed. Since 1975 both men have lived in dread of encountering the other. One, Alistair (Neeson), feels he dare not ask forgiveness, the other, Joe (Nesbitt), feels incapable of giving it.
But when they do eventually meet, something extraordinary happens - something that will change their lives forever.
Details
- Year
- 2009
- Type of project
- Features
- Running time
- 90 mins
- Format
- 35mm
- Director
-
Oliver Hirschbiegel
- Producer
- Paul Trijbits
- Co-Producer
- Paul Trijbits
- Editor
- Hans Funck
- Screenwriter
- Guy Hibbert
- Director of Photography
- Ruari O' Brien
- Production Designer
- Mark Lowry
- Principal cast
- Liam Neeson, James Nesbitt, Anamaria Marcina
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Big Fish Films
Ruby Films
26 Lloyd Baker St.London WC1X 9AW
UK
Sales Company
Pathé International
Kent House14-17 Market Place
London W1W 8AR
UK
T +44 (0)20 7323 5151
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Diana
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Year: 2013
Diana explores the last two years of Princess Diana's life; her campaign against land mines and her relationship with surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan.
About an Intimate Matter
Director: Sandeep Kumar Paul
Year: 2026
Science teacher Swarna and her partner Driti move to a suburban town for a fresh start. When a student leaks intimate photos of Swarna online, school authorities turn her private life into a disciplinary issue. Official Selection Busan International Film Festival 2026 - World premiere
Clocks
Director: Yv Shells
Year: 2026
When Arlo arrives to find Marcus has cooked someone else’s favourite meal, a single question begins to unravel an evening that refuses to stay in the present. Through a fractured timeline set entirely within one dining room, we move between Marcus and Arlo and the relationship that came before, with Una, the woman he met at a late-night bus stop and once talked about marrying. The same table, the same chairs, the same arguments about trust, honesty and what it means to truly see someone. As the timelines bleed together, it becomes clear that Marcus has never fully left the past, and that Una’s ghost sits at every table he sets. When Arlo asks what her own favourite meal is and he cannot answer, the film’s quiet devastation lands completely. CLOCKS is a portrait of a man who loves generously but sees poorly, and the women who carry the cost. It asks what we owe the person in front of us while we are still in love with someone we lost, and whether a feeling ever truly ends.