Four Minus Three

Press Quotes

„'Four Minus Three' is equal parts heartbreaking, an earnest celebration of life in all its colours, and an ode to joy. There is a continuous feeling of rawness to the film. In the intertwining of Barbara's past and present, we are granted access to intimate fragments, a commemoration of memory itself. The scenes feel like genuine slices of life. In embracing grief and memory without restraint, it becomes not just a story about tragedy, but a luminous reminder that love endures far beyond absence.“
THE UPCOMING

„Pachner carries the film on her shoulders throughout an emotional rollercoaster.“
SCREENANARCHY

„The magnetic protagonist is played by excellent Valerie Pachner. Goiginger, who is particularly at ease with complex family stories with unexpected and not always simple twists and turns, took his cue from the book by Pachl-Eberhart, but still managed to give the whole thing his own personal touch, giving the entire feature film a well-balanced rhythm. Goiginger, a great observer of human nature, has managed all these elements perfectly, playing on little but significant details that give soul to the entire film.“
CINEMA AUSTRIACO

„Valerie Pachner plays the main character with impressive tenderness and determination. Modest and balanced, “Four Minus Three” is moving, with the clownish qualities of the protagonists not masking their humanity or overshadowing the seriousness of the subject. So get your tissues ready and accompany this authentic character through these suspended moments from which we emerge, but not unscathed.“
ABUS DE CINE

“Valerie Pachner's performance is particularly impressive. She gives Barbara a presence that is both fragile and untamable, capable of absorbing the violence of reality without ever giving in to demonstration.“
JMAG

“Valerie Pachner delivers a breathtaking tour de force as the lead actress. A heartbreaking, outstanding drama. Goiginger stages the sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes poetic scenes with the utmost sensitivity and restraint. A finely crafted, subtle drama. Four Minus Three deserves an award and the widest possible audience.“
THE SPOT MEDIA

“It's worth it—absolutely. Yes, the audience is also left reeling for two hours—but in the end, you regain faith in humanity. Great cinema.”
FILMSTARTS

„A touching film, based on a true story. Goiginger once again demonstrates his knack for mastering challenging material. This ORF/arte/BR/SWR co-production boasts a strong cast, right down to the supporting roles.”
DAS KULTURBLOG

„An incredibly honest, brilliantly acted, painfully touching piece of cinema that consistently avoids calendar sayings and truisms of all kinds. It certainly takes effort to subject yourself to such an experience of grief, but it's worth it – so much so. Valerie Pachner is a revelation.It is precisely because of his brutal honesty that even the more optimistic moments have a completely different effect. Yes, the rug is pulled out from under the audience's feet for two hours – but in the end they regain some of their faith in humanity. Very big cinema.“
L.A. YOUTH

„As with the entire film, Goiginger does a wonderful job.“
JAREDMOBARAK

“A moving portrayal. Affecting, thanks to an impressive central performance by Valerie Pachner, who always remains grounded and heartbreakingly human.”
INTERNATIONAL CINEPHILE SOCIETY

“A drama firmly rooted in powerful, subtle performances — especially the excellent lead Valerie Pachner. It's great to see her back to peak form… This work reaffirms her major talent as a dramatic actress, moving between comic antics and deep-seated grief with ease. Extremely well-executed.”
JOURNEY INTO CINEMA

„Tasteful. Based on a real-life story.An immersive voyage told through the eyes of a lost soul. Watching a red balloon float upwards to a ceiling, a smile begins to etch itself to the heroine's face. Joy can be uncovered by little moments.Pachner is astonishing.“
D MOVIES

„Goiginger finds the ideal balance to respect the woman's feelings without limiting her to the condition of a victim of circumstances. He creates a simple, respectful cinema. In human and empathetic terms, he paints a moving portrait of a woman.Valerie Pachner has plenty of resources to bring variation to the mater dolorosa. In the hands of a less skilled performer, the character would border on emotional blackmail. Here, Barbara is entitled to her anxieties, which evolve into more intense states of crying or indignation. She reaches laughter, relief, and truce with events. She oscillates between fury and apathy, between anger and contentment.“
MEIO AMARGO

„With ‘Four Minus Three', Goiginger touches the hearts of audiences through the magic of cinema, offering a story of eternal love that transcends the barriers of death and loss.“
CINEMA DF

„The heart of the film is the performance of Valerie Pachner as Barbara as she goes through a wide range of emotions. The funeral procession with all of the different clowns is bittersweet and the closing top-down shot of her facial expression is a poignant final image. It would have been very easy for filmmaker Adrian Goiginger to adapt this true story into a surreal journey into grief but a more grounded approach is taken.“
LIVE FOR FILM

“Standing ovations, tear-stained faces, stunned silence. The Austrian family drama 'Four Minus Three', Panorama section probably left no one unmoved at its premiere in the Zoopalast.A screenplay that is just as compelling as everything else in this deeply moving film – not least the cast, brilliantly assembled by director Adrian Goiginger, starting with the impressive Valerie Pachner as Barbara, Robert Stadlober as the likeable father Heli, Hanno Koffler as the country doctor-actor who is only superficial at first glance, to an excellently directed Stefanie Reinsperger as the best friend.One of the highlights of this year's festival.“
DIE WELT

„Outstanding drama in Panorama, where you can't stop crying.“
BERLINER MORGENPOST

“'Four Minus Three' is a sensitively understated drama about radical loss and the arduous return to life. Director Adrian Goiginger finds a form that neither glosses over nor exhibits anything, but takes the people behind the story seriously. Carried by an outstanding Valerie Pachner, this literary adaptation unfolds with a quiet, lasting emotional force—painful, comforting, and imbued with a hope that draws its strength precisely from despair."
KINO TOTAL

„One of the most moving moments of the first days of the Berlinale was after the premiere of ‚Four Minus Three‘. Valerie Pachner gives a magnificently nuanced performance as this young woman full of courage. Barbara Pachl-Eberhart said after the premiere at the Zoo Palast that she had numerous ‚flashbacks of love‘ during the film, demonstrating yet another facet of love—and of cinema.
EPD FILM

“A true story. Painful to watch, yet also full of strength and confidence.”
ZDF MORGENMAGAZIN

„While Barbara is numb with shock, she surprises Heli's parents by bringing a clown troupe to celebrate her family's lives. This surreal, powerful scene will stay with many viewers. Pachner delivers a multi-layered performance. Heli's remark about ‚being a clown, means creating one character that will constantly grow, informed by one's whole life‘ is a clear nod towards how she will find the way, but it doesn't steal anything away from the film's drama. Rather, it effectively prepares the ground for the final, soaring scene.“
CINEUROPA