4 Minutes (2024)

What could have been

4 Minutes was a missed opportunity on so many levels. The premise that the 4 minutes after a person’s heart has stopped beating, when they are in a state of hypoxia, events from their life will play out in their consciousness was novel. Back when the author of the series was announced as Sammon, a medical doctor, I knew that 4 minutes referred to that brief few minutes between life and death, if the victim is not revived.

At first, the viewer is not aware of what the 4 minutes signifies. Instead, the tendency is to take Great’s explanation at face value, that at times he can see 4 minutes into the future and has a chance to make different choices. For the first few episodes, everything is grounded in this point of view. But gradually the viewer becomes confused about what has happened and is happening. Clearly, everything we are seeing cannot all be reality. More and more contradictions creep in to the story line. We see events that don’t involve Great at all, and then variations of those same events. Whose reality, or 4 minutes are we witnessing? Sometimes we never find out.

Basically, the entire plot is constructed on the premise of reliving choices and potentially choosing differently a second or even third time. All of this takes place in a hypopoxic state, but whose? So many possibilities are thrown at the viewer that at times we aren’t sure what is real and what is imagined. That might have been interesting to explore, but the script never tackles the fundamental question, What is consciousness, what is reality? Instead, we get a repetitive muddle of a plot laced with soft core porn scenes, graphic violence, and individuals you wouldn’t want to meet in real life. By episode 8, I was repelled by all but two of the main characters (and I was certainly no fan of Great and Tyme by then). I especially take exception with serious actors being required to act in soft core porn scenes that do nothing to advance either plot or character development. A less explicit scene could have communicated what was needed. Instead, in these scenes the actors are presented exclusively as sexualized bodies engaged in explicit coupling solely for the titillation of the viewer. The CEO of Be On Cloud is credited as the Intimacy Director,, so the decision to treat his actors in this way was definitely his. How can an actor say “no” to the CEO when called upon to film such scenes and not lose his job? It smacked of exploitation and this did not sit well with me.

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4 Minutes

I will keep it short simply because I just couldn't get into the story. At times I was lost but did carry on watching the whole series. The acting was good. the script was OK but the MLs.. only my opinion didn't connect for me. Yes the Sex scenes were there in all there glory. Tonkla and Korns sex scene at the beginning was well acted but after that we didn't see them till much later as Korn was playing the field so that turned me right off him. Great and Tyme were the other MLs but nothing really happened between them that stood out. Series could have been a lot better. There were to many storylines to follow for me and at times was a frustrating watch.
Well worth watching to make your own take on the series as to some it was great series.

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Result of the combination of good script, acting and staging (First update from the original review)

In 'Manner of Death', 'Triage', 'Dead Friend Forever - DFF', 'Make a Wish' and 'Bite Me' the famous Thai screenwriter Isaree Siriwankulthon (Sammon), reiterates her interest in witnessing the suspense, the alteration of the time, time loop, medical-forensic work, hospital environment, police investigation, kidnapping, murder, slow-burn romance, friendship, family relationships, school and university ecosystem, unjustly accused characters, action, political, police and business corruption, always having homosexual characters as protagonists.
For her part, director and screenwriter Ning Bhanbhassa Dhubthien has demonstrated, through the series 'KinnPorsche' (2022) and the film 'Man Suang', that both film and television language constitute a tool that she can also use at her own discretion taste, and in which, incidentally, you have the possibility of continuing working with your most recurring motifs or thematic interests.
In '4Minutes', the series in which Sammon and Ning join forces for the first time, the actions of the peculiar creatures that populate the creative universe of the Thai author duo remind us of those of some of the protagonists of the aforementioned works, bringing us closer to their characters in a very sensitive, fluid and ethereal way, recording their most banal movements and glances and turning them into revealing moments by transmitting all the intensity of love through tenderness, melancholy and an enveloping atmosphere.
Great, its central star, is one of the most striking characters to emerge from Sammon's imagination: a university student at the Faculty of Business Administration and son of a rich businessman, blessed with a gift that is also a curse, since he has the supernatural ability to know what is going to happen in the future 4 minutes in advance, always and when it affects him.
This power leads him to alter the results of many events, while the memory of what happened visits him again and again in his imagination. Thus, the story restarts from the beginning, over and over again, so the audience will have to pay attention to discover which is reality and which is not.
He a piece of character, very competently defended by Bible Wichapas Sumettikul ('KinnPorsche'), in which it could very well be the most significant role of his still young and promising artistic career, and thanks to which he unleashes fervor among lovers of the Thai dramas, especially LGBT+ themed fans.
He knows it and devotes himself with devotion to building it, polishing it, making it unique, to providing it with an empathy that overflows the screen and allows him to put himself in the viewer's pocket. His acting counterpoint with Jes Jespipat Tilapornputt ('Sassy Player', 2009), - his counterpart in 'Spaceless', a short film directed by Jatuphong Rungrueangdechaphat, also in 2024, and which serves as a letter of introduction to the acting couple - seduces and fascinates. As do the episodes that make up the drama from its beautiful presentation to the no less admirable farewell.
The friendship that develops between Great and Tyme takes them on a journey of discovery and acceptance that explores male vulnerability. However, it is not a simple story of a couple of friends succumbing to love. That is very seen and would be too predictable.
On the other hand, '4Minutes' is a more rounded, absorbing and sentimental story about two young people who find themselves involved in an exciting intrigue in which there will be no shortage of industrial espionage, murder, kidnapping, betrayal, infidelity, unfulfilled promises, political and police corruption, the proximity of death, revenge, score settlements, martial combats, and explicit sexual scenes (completely removed from the universe of pornography) and that provide absolute meaning to the characters' history .
On the other hand, '4Minutes' is a more rounded, absorbing and sentimental story about two young people who find themselves involved in a passionate intrigue in which there will be no shortage of industrial espionage, murder, kidnapping, martial combats, and explicit sexual scenes ( totally removed from the universe of pornography) and that provide absolute meaning to the characters' story.
With this premise, the director manages to develop a deep character study, investigating the existential motivations and experiences that shape them as individual beings but also as people united by an unbreakable bond. Likewise, it explores complicated relationships, social barriers, and depicts more than one gay romance while challenging social norms and embracing the power of love, acceptance, and understanding. It is much more than a simple love story.
Sammon has created a very intelligent script, in which the dialogues are the basis of the story. Through the conversations that Great and Tyme have, two characters emerge like few we have seen. The screenwriter's prose is almost lyrical and manages to capture the realism and naturalness of their relationship, friendly first, then romantic. The viewer is transported into the story, as if he had the two young people in front of him and was asking permission to jump to the other side of the screen at any moment to join the conversation.
As Great and Tyme connect, their relationship faces numerous complications. Great tries to understand what is causing his abnormality and how to escape it, while dealing with personal and family problems. For his part, Tyme secretly investigates criminal acts in which Great's family may be involved, especially his father, mother and older brother, Korn, played convincingly by Bas Asavapatr Ponpiboon, a character who adds greater complexity to the story.
Likewise, the stories that unite Tonkla, Inspector Win, Dome and Title, characters played by Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra, Jay Patiphan Fueangfunuwat, Mio Athens Werapatanakul and Jet Jetsadakorn Bundit, in that order, play an important role in the development of the series.
In this sense, a chance meeting with Great could help Tyme try to get closer to the young university student with the intention of penetrating his family circle to carry out his revenge, since he blames Great's family for the death of his parents. All this, while trying to save his grandmother from reprisals and fulfilling his duties as a doctor at a large hospital in Bangkok.
What begins as a game of cat and mouse will end up becoming a journey of no return. While Great secretly serves Tyme's interests to get even, the boundaries between sexuality and male friendship are continually compromised, with both characters drawn to each other.
The incredibly talented cast, which in addition to the aforementioned actors, includes JJay Patiphan Fueangfunuwat as Inspector Win, Fuaiz Thanawat Shinawatra as Tonkla, Job Yosatorn Konglikit as Den, Mio Athens Werapatanakul as Dome, and Jet Jetsadakorn Bundit as Title, It adds a touch of depth, elegance and authenticity to the series, and nails each scene and makes it believable.
The plot of the story is woven based on the two axes of coordinates that constitute Great's respective relationships with Tyme, a surgeon whom he knows due to his supernatural ability, and the one he has with his powerful family, businessmen they will not hesitate to commit the most terrible crimes if these help them get away with their crimes in the competitive business world.
The development of dramatic tension will be the result of both vectors, which pull Great in opposite directions, and which will narratively establish the counterweight between two categories of values, which will face each other on the stage table, and to which he must have a clear and lucid choice for one of the two: both at an aesthetic level and in content, which we will see trying to be resolved in the treatment of the psychological level and development of the characters.
In the photography of Pavarisa Tadde and Ittipong Klinchart, the exuberant beauty of colors and light of the luxurious surroundings of the Great mansion, the beautiful city landscapes, contrast with the most gloomy and degraded spaces, such as those of hospitals, also seen as a setting of pain and death, the humble house in which Tyme lives with his grandmother, since his parents died long ago, or those in which a corpse frequently appears.
In the context of Great's environment we also see how, both at the level of photography and staging, there is this significant disparity: the luminosity and brightness in the daytime scenes, with the darkest, warmest tones (from yellowish to almost reddish from inside the house); In both, he participates in the fiery internal love dynamics in which the protagonist begins to anticipate, in the form of a visual fantasy, his passion for Tyme.
The soundtrack by Terdsak Janpan fits perfectly with the moods of the characters and the tone of each moment. The music wonderfully delves into this suffocating, mysterious and at some points almost depressive character, in which we see Great's tortured spirit immersed, until he decides to free himself and surrender to his love and resolve the conflicts that surround him.
As I've probably already said in some way, the main charm of the series comes from the relationship between the two young people, who build a very special bond. The chemistry between Great and Tyme is palpable: the two transmit tenderness, camaraderie and a lot of passion. This helps a lot at a certain point in which the protagonists meet like two chess players with a board in between.
At the level of content, the struggle of opposite poles is manifested in this clash between the protagonists' will for healthy fulfillment and the suffocating reality that surrounds them.
Once again, Sammon demonstrates his good eye when it comes to finding unexpected narrative angles, building a solid network of emotions, designing fascinating characters and plots, and telling an attractive story while weaving its edges, taking his time, pampering and caring for the story, to give rise to a series that is summarized as one of the best in recent years.
'4Minutes is an emotional and heartfelt proposal that makes us forget that it is not Jespipat Tilapornputtde the actor who was supposed to play Tyme.

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Sadly lacking real story and development.

The actors are good, I enjoyed the 2nd pairing but the main pair are not for me. The series is lacking chemistry and strong story. Especially when all they do is use NC sex for story that makes no sense. It feels like sex is all they want to focus on for lack of acting and story line and plot that does not make sense. Sadly disappointed. Feels like characters are one dimensional and typical with lack of growth. Please focus more on storyline next time instead of their NC moments. Especially since call their trailers only emphasize on the intimate moments just to try to get fans on board.

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The cast had less chemistry than Bible with his motorbike

When I saw the trailer of this series I hopped on the moving hype train going on full steam, just because I was anxious to see Bible back on screen.

In the end, Bible did terrific work. But that's pretty much it for this series. The plot was all over the place, every single lick of chemistry was already seen in the trailer, and the pacing made this feel like it was 40 episodes instea d of 8.

I mean cinematography was nice. They made this pretty at parts, at least.

Also Why Don't You Stay should've remained in KP.

Conclusion: I wish to see Bible paired with someone else and in a no-paranormal series.

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A visual stunning midnight BL drama with good acting and a decent plot for a midnight drama.

Virtues:
-The gorgeous cinematography.
-Jespipat Tilapornputt and Asavapatr Ponpiboon's performances are really good.
-The 4 minutes concept and the near death experiences theme.
-The mix between the mistakes of the past Great wished could fix, the raw and messy reality the characters lived and the things that never happened to Tyme but wished would have happen, all of this three timelines told with the central context of being on the verge of dying.

Flaws:
-Some events happen out of the blue, with a poorly elaborated build up, so the development and the characters' relationships, actions and reactions lack credibility at certain moments of the story, special mention to episode 6.
-Some scenes, like the one when Tonkla has the camera right in front of his face to show he's succumbing to his dark side born from his traumas, the one when Great and his father "argue" about the video or the one where Tyme comfronts Great's father are badly directed and filmed, and therefore, acted.
-Sammon repeats things she'd already used in previous plots without giving these resources proper personality.
-Some sequences feel like being watching a TV spot, a beautiful advertisement or a promotional ad for the actors. Including all that in a series is perfectly fine and common, but you must know how to integrate those promotional things in the general story in a proper manner. Unfortunately, here and in Thai series in general, they just throw the promotional things to one's face, which took me out of the story more than once.

To sum up, 4 MInutes is an interesting and enternaining midnight series that is not perfectly written, but is still worth watching if you're looking for a decent BL to watch.

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Good, was waiting for her to be great

I liked the first half of the show and the overall concept it started with on the 4 minutes. The first half was intriguing, perplexing, wonderfully confusing and very enjoyable and I enjoyed the chemistry between what was marketed as the main characters.
However, there was a shift somewhere that changed the whole dynamic of the show. The resolution of the show for me felt no better than the hated ‘it was all a dream’. It got really slow and focused too many really long scenes some characters in a single episode that you forget that there’s other characters in the show. I feel they did too much and followed too many characters to address in 8 episodes.
Maybe because the show only had 8 episodes they fumbled wrapping it up well and left so many loose ends that for me I needed tied.

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It’s not cute love.

8.5 stars rounded up, the only reasons this isn't a solid 10 stars is there are a lot of little things that bothered me in of plot and relationship dynamics , but the rest of the series was lovely so it's ok.

I honestly don’t want to share too much about this series before you look it — it’s best enjoyed knowing as little about it as possible. However, what I will say is the pacing is good, the jumpy timeline builds tension and has you at the edge of your seat, and that ending…Bitter and sweet. How you feel about it may determine your final rating too.
But yeah, apart from that...
It was a unique story but there was a missed opportunity to really make this an the best story, which somehow makes the flaws worse since I get frustrated seeing wasted opportunities.

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4 MINUTES BEFORE BRAIN DEAD

For your questions to be answered on what is going on, you have to finish it first. Those who created this drama is a genius, they have put the answers to every questions a viewers may have all throughout the drama specially at the end, but believe me, even though you would realize that you have seen the answer it will still turn out that you do not understand it, you'll just see that the enemy was killed and the misunderstanding was cleared, the main lead got their revenge and the main meads ended up together, that's it !
The catchy thing here was the 4 minutes prediction of Great , at first I thought it was a fantasy, but the first half was just I think imagination of Great to foresee what will happen after 4 minutes because on the episode 6 there was no more predictions from him that was shown, everything happens the way they should be , and it turns out that the first parts seems a hallucinations only that is being studied by the other doctor that was a friend of P'Tyme. And that the story went into something like it was showing that what really happens in the 4 minutes that the brain still working without an oxygen, maybe that was when someone is about to be brain dead, that is what I understood about this show.
About what has happened with the other characters for me nothing was special about it because I have seen so many crime and plot twists stories like that but it was still great.
The drama was a good one, not boring and you can really prove to yourself that it was a high quality show and great actors has starred , I mean look at the acting ! It was superb, binge watchable , for me this is a recommended one , looking forward for more of Bible's works he is such a fine man and actor .

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More of a Scenario Building Exercise than an actual plot

CHEMISTRY:
Okay so hear me out! This has got to be by far the best level of intimacy and bareness I've ever seen in BL so far! Like i have no clue how they've got Fuaiz to shoot those bare sex scenes when he was barely 18 is still goes all over my head, but his level of maturity and acting makes me confident enough that he knows what he's doing and is of legal age.

PLOT:
Now coming to the plot, there were many reminiscence of DFF in the plot and by the end of ep 4 I knew it's going to take the Messier route just as DFF took but not as mad. But the entire 4minutes thing was really messy to be honest. Like what were the writers really trying to convey, like how the scenario building as we do in urban design ?, showed how things would've been different if characters behaved in a certain way in those 4 minutes, or these were mental patients who were living in their own trance struggling to grapple with reality, or actually did time travel? It's seriously a convoluted mess!

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT:
I loved how every character was shown to be a grey character and shown them in their exact realness with no useless fluffy like we see in typical BL dramas, and had managed their own flaws and struggles. Though there was little character development in most of the characters except Korn, for that matter yeah just his realisation what he did wrong was enough for me ?. DFF had really good development and plot build-up, even though this did try really hard with those mind boggling plot twists, but it has lesser of an impact.

ACTING:
Fuaiz and Bas really stole the show, to be real honest. Those two were literally the main characters of the entire show than Jess Bible themselves. Like i really didn't care by the ending of the show as to what shit they were upto, I was most concerned where the rat of Fuaiz is upto ?. Jess is a veteran actor so need not talk much about it, and Bible really didn't have much to offer.

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