A story based on fact, “Six Minutes to Midnight” (M 100 minutes|Drama) brings a war-time thriller to the screen for this weekend’s movie at The Rex. 

A scenic period piece, starring Dame Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent and Eddie Izzard, it is set in a private girl's school — the Augusta Victoria College in Bexhill-on-Sea — which is run with care by the spinster, Miss Rocholl (Judi Dench). 

But the “finishing school” is unusual, in that all its teenage students are German. Indeed, they are the offspring of prominent Nazis.

The establishment is under surveillance by the British secret service, and the film follows the attempts by a British agent (masquerading as a school teacher) to uncover a plot to repatriate the pupils and discover what happened to his predecessor, who has disappeared.

The school itself is based on historical fact. Miss Rochol did indeed run the establishment as a part of a plan to infiltrate British high-society with 

pro-Nazi sympathies ahead of an invasion. In real-life, one of the pupils was the god-daughter of Heinrich Himmler, and one — Bettina von Ribbentrop — was the daughter of the German foreign minister.

The film is co-written by actor Eddie Izzard and Celyn Jones, Izzard actually grew 

up in the area of Bexhill, so brings an authenticity to the styling and setting of the work.

Reminiscent of suspense movies of the past, “Six Minutes to Midnight” presents plot twists and a gentle pacing which is sure to appeal. 

“Six Minutes to Midnight” screens on  Saturday, May 22, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 23; and on Tuesday, May 25, at 8 p.m..