96 Minutes

In “96 Minutes,” four young lives are slammed together in one terrifying act of violence. With absent and irresponsible adults offering no guidance, the teens are left on their own to try and survive both the night and a difficult world. The tense events unfold in real time, but the film deftly cuts between a climactic nighttime carjacking and the beginning of that day. Following each of the quartet of kids, the film reveals their backgrounds and details the seemingly innocuous decisions that lead them toward a frightening and life-changing conclusion. This electrifying first feature premiered at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival, where it earned a Breakthrough Performance Award for actor Evan Ross. The Austin Chronicle praises debut writer/director Aimee Lagos for creating “a fully gripping night world, a moment-to-moment film noir reminiscent of ‘The Night of the Hunter.’”