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"Three Minutes"
Lost episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 22
Directed byStephen Williams
Written by
Production code222
Original air dateMay 17, 2006 (2006-05-17)
Running time44 minutes[1]
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Live Together, Die Alone"
Lost season 2
List of episodes

"Three Minutes" is the 47th episode of Lost. It is the 22nd episode of the second season.[2] The episode was directed by Stephen Williams, and written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. It first aired May 17, 2006, on ABC. The emotionally conflicted character of Michael Dawson is featured in the episode's flashbacks. It also marks a transition for Mr. Eko, from his project of building a church, to his self-appointed role of entering the numbers in the computer.[3]

Plot

[edit]

Flashbacks

[edit]

Thirteen days ago, Michael asks Locke for a gun. Though Locke cooperates, Michael knocks him unconscious, and then heads to the computer to receive directions on how to find his son, Walt. Jack arrives unexpectedly; Michael confronts him and locks both him and Locke in the armory, before setting off to rescue Walt. En route he is captured by the Others and is taken to another location. He is then greeted by Mr. Friendly and various Others, shortly before the former's encounter with the survivors in "The Hunting Party". When alone with Michael, Alex tells him that Mr. Friendly is just sending them a message to scare them. She then asks Michael about Claire and her baby. Michael is dragged to the Others' camp, where they appear to live in makeshift tents. A woman identifying herself as "Ms. Klugh" asks questions about Walt's childhood. She eventually explains that she wants Michael to return to his camp to free Henry Gale. Michael demands to see Walt, and she agrees, giving him three minutes to talk. Michael is then reunited with his son. Walt informs Michael that they make him take "tests", and he cautions Michael that the Others are "not who they say they are". Ms. Klugh threatens Walt by telling him that he will be sent to "The Room" if he says anything revealing, and Walt is subsequently taken away after throwing himself at Michael, begging him to save him. Ms. Klugh tells Michael that he and Walt will be set free if he brings four people from his own camp to the Others. She gives him a slip of paper, which contains the names: Jack, Kate, "James Ford" (Sawyer), and Hurley. She states that Michael must bring his companions back if he is ever to see Walt again. Michael agrees, but also demands that he and Walt are given the boat in return.

On the island

[edit]

Michael debates with the other survivors as to who should accompany him to the Others' camp. He does not tell them about his instructions, but insists on limiting the number to the names that were on the paper. When Sawyer informs Michael that he has recruited Sayid, Michael protests and directly tells Sayid that he is not coming. Michael also fails to convince Hurley to go, despite reminding him that Libby was killed. Sayid suspects that Michael has been "compromised" by the Others, and decides to work on a new plan with Jack to try to regain an advantage. On the beach, Charlie brings a DHARMA kit, containing a vaccine and a pneumatic injector, to Claire for her and Aaron to use. Later, Charlie struggles to construct the church, as Vincent approaches with a Virgin Mary statue, which contains heroin. Charlie follows Vincent back to Sawyer's hidden stash and discovers the other statues. Charlie decides to throw all of them into the ocean and Locke observes that Charlie has overcome his demons. During the funeral for Libby and Ana Lucia, while the survivors stand around their graves, Locke cuts away his splints and starts walking without crutches again. After saying a few words about Libby, Hurley tells a visibly relieved Michael that he is going to join his expedition to the Others' camp. At this point, the funeral is interrupted by Sun suddenly spotting a boat coming towards the island.

Reception

[edit]

14.67 million Americans watched the episode live.[4] IGN ranked it as the 60th best episode, and noted that it was one of the few that took place entirely on the island, including the flashbacks.[3]

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Three Minutes

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Three Minutes: A Lengthening is a 2021 Dutch-British directed by that explores a rare three-minute, 16mm color filmed by American tourist David Kurtz in , , in 1938, providing the only known moving images of the town's Jewish community shortly before their destruction in . The footage, discovered in 2009 by Kurtz's grandson Glenn in a deteriorating film reel stored in his parents' attic, depicts ordinary scenes of Jewish residents—men, women, and children—engaging in daily activities along the town's , unaware of the impending tragedy that would see most deported to ghettos and extermination camps like Treblinka by 1942. Stigter's film innovatively "lengthens" this brief clip into a 69-minute by slowing down, reversing, zooming into, and repeating segments, allowing for detailed visual analysis and the identification of over 30 individuals through survivor testimonies and archival research conducted by Glenn Kurtz and Polish Holocaust survivor Maurice Chandler. Narrated by in a reflective tone, the documentary interweaves these enhanced images with historical context, personal stories, and philosophical reflections on memory, time, and the act of viewing history, emphasizing how prolonged attention to the footage preserves lives that were otherwise erased. Produced by and Floor Onrust, the film premiered at the and was released theatrically in 2022, drawing acclaim for its innovative structure and emotional depth as a testament to pre-Holocaust Jewish life in . It holds a 100% approval rating on based on 55 reviews, with critics praising its ability to "movingly capture a moment in time while honoring lives soon to be cut short by unimaginable horror." The project is adapted from Glenn Kurtz's 2014 book Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film, which details the discovery and research process, and the film itself received multiple honors, including the 2022 DocAviv Yad Vashem Award, the 2023 Dublin International Film Festival Best Documentary Award, and the 2022 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Documentary Award.

Background and production

Development

Three Minutes: A Lengthening is adapted from Glenn Kurtz's 2014 book Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film, which chronicles his research into the 1938 home movie footage shot by his grandfather David Kurtz in , . Director and co-writer first encountered the footage via a post in 2015 and contacted Kurtz, leading to the project's inception. Initially developed as a titled Three Minutes Thirteen Minutes Thirty Minutes that premiered at the 2015 , the work expanded over five years into a feature-length documentary through iterative screenings and refinements as a "work in progress." Stigter, a Dutch film critic, historian, and producer known for her work on films like 12 Years a Slave and Widows, collaborated closely with Kurtz on additional research, including frame-by-frame analysis of the footage to identify individuals, locations, and details such as , , and signage. This involved consulting Polish directories, survivor testimonies, and experts for elements like lip-reading attempts and historical verification. The project was produced by Floor Onrust for Family Affair Films and co-produced by for Lammas Park, with Stigter emphasizing themes of memory and time through innovative manipulation of the original three-minute clip. Kurtz also served as co-writer, contributing to the narrative structure that interweaves visual analysis with historical context.

Filming

As a centered on archival footage, production focused on supplementary elements to enhance the 1938 rather than extensive new shooting. Stigter conducted interviews with , including Maurice Chandler in Detroit, Michigan, who recognized himself and relatives in the footage, providing personal testimonies that informed identifications of over 30 individuals. Location work included visits to Nasielsk, , to record ambient sound and capture contemporary views of the town for contrast with the pre-war images, as well as a trip to the site to contextualize the community's fate. No reenactments or on-camera talking heads appear in the final film; instead, provides voiceover narration in English, with additional audio in Polish, German, and Yiddish for authenticity. Post-production involved detailed editing by Katharina Wartena, slowing, reversing, and zooming into the restored 16mm footage to "lengthen" it into a 69-minute exploration, preserving the color and detail of the original while highlighting erased histories. The film was completed in early 2021 ahead of its world premiere at the .

Plot

Three Minutes: A Lengthening centers on a three-minute segment of 16mm color footage shot by American tourist David Kurtz during a visit to , , in July 1938. The film captures candid scenes of daily life in the town's Jewish community along the main market street, including men in prayer shawls, women at market stalls, children playing, and horse-drawn carts, all unaware of the impending . Narrated by , the documentary extends this brief reel into a 69-minute by employing techniques such as slowing down the motion, reversing sequences, zooming into details, freeze-framing faces, and repeating segments to scrutinize every element. This "lengthening" allows for a frame-by-frame , highlighting , expressions, and interactions to evoke the vibrancy of pre-war Jewish life in . The narrative traces the footage's rediscovery in 2009 by Kurtz's grandson, Glenn Kurtz, who found the deteriorating reel in his parents' attic. It follows his research journey, collaborating with Polish survivor Maurice Chandler and others to identify over 30 individuals through survivor testimonies, archival photographs, and local records, restoring names and stories to those depicted. A digital reconstruction of Nasielsk's market square provides additional context, while the film interweaves these personal histories with broader historical accounts of the town's fate: of its approximately 3,000 Jewish residents, nearly all were deported in 1942 to the and then to the , with only about 100 survivors. Through philosophical reflections on time, , and the of viewing, the film emphasizes how prolonging to these images acts as a form of , preserving lives that were systematically erased. No on-camera interviews appear; instead, voices of experts and witnesses are heard over the visuals, culminating in a poignant acknowledgment of the unanswerable losses and enduring mysteries in the footage.

Themes and analysis

Character development

The documentary "Three Minutes: A Lengthening" centers on the "characters" captured in the 1938 footage—ordinary Jewish residents of —whose lives are retrospectively given depth through survivor testimonies and . Over 150 faces appear in the three-minute clip, with more than 30 individuals identified by name, transforming anonymous figures into remembered people with personal stories, such as a young boy later recognized by survivor Moszek Tuchendler (Maurice Chandler) as himself at age 13. Glenn Kurtz, the grandson of the original filmmaker, emerges as a key figure whose journey from discovery to dedicated researcher embodies themes of and responsibility. His four-year effort to uncover identities and histories, aided by survivors like Chandler, adds a arc of personal commitment to preserving erased lives, while director Stigter's approach evolves the footage from raw to a profound .

Motifs and symbolism

The film's title and structure symbolize the "lengthening" of time, as the brief 1938 footage is slowed, reversed, zoomed into, and repeated to expand a three-minute clip into a 69-minute exploration, representing how prolonged attention can reclaim lost histories from oblivion. This repetition motif underscores the fragility of , turning fleeting moments into enduring testaments against the Holocaust's erasure. Color in the rare 16mm footage serves as a vivid symbol of pre-war Jewish life, with elements like (e.g., dresses and buildings) standing out as markers of vibrancy soon to be destroyed, evoking comparisons to other films like "." Water and everyday activities in the clip motifize normalcy and innocence, contrasting sharply with the impending tragedy, while the act of viewing becomes a philosophical symbol of ethical engagement with —questioning how spectatorship preserves or exploits the past. The documentary interweaves motifs of loss and reconstruction, using freeze-frames and forensic analysis as metaphors for piecing together a shattered world, emphasizing the power of to humanize victims and confront the passage of time. Narrated by , these elements culminate in reflections on the dual nature of the footage: a joyful snapshot for its subjects, yet a haunting for posterity.

Reception and legacy

Critical response

Three Minutes: A Lengthening received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. On , the film holds a 100% approval rating based on 55 reviews, with the site's consensus reading, "Three Minutes - A Lengthening movingly captures a moment while honoring lives soon to be cut short by unimaginable horror." Critics praised the film's innovative structure and emotional resonance. The Guardian's Rebecca Nicholson awarded it five stars, noting it is "aware of its limitations and is all the more powerful for it." The Sydney Morning Herald's Tom Ryan described it as "not just a lengthening; it’s also a deepening and an emotionally enriching one." Roger Ebert's review highlighted its philosophical reflections on and time. The audience score on is 79% based on over 50 ratings, with viewers appreciating its poignant glimpse into pre-Holocaust Jewish life.

Viewership and impact

The film premiered at the and received a in 2022, grossing $90,144 at the domestic . Internationally, it screened at festivals including , Telluride, and Sundance, contributing to its global reach. Three Minutes: A Lengthening has been recognized with several awards, including the 2022 DocAviv Award, the 2023 Dublin International Best Award, and the 2022 Atlanta Jewish Award. It received five nominations at the 7th Critics' Choice Awards, including Best First Feature, Best Editing, and Best Narration, and was shortlisted for the 2022 IDA Awards for Best Feature . The film was also eligible for the Best Feature at the . The has had a lasting impact as a testament to pre- Jewish life in , using the found footage to preserve memories of individuals otherwise lost to history. It has been featured in retrospectives on Holocaust remembrance and inspired discussions on the role of archival film in .

References

  1. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/three_minutes_a_lengthening
  2. https://tiff.net/events/three-minutes-a-lengthening
  3. https://www.autlookfilms.com/films/three-minutes-a-lengthening
  4. https://burnsfilmcenter.org/booking/three-minutes-a-lengthening/
  5. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jan/24/three-minutes-a-lengthening-review-helena-bonham-carter-documentary
  6. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/three-minutes-a-lengthening-movie-review-2022
  7. https://mjff.org/film/three-minutes-a-lengthening/
  8. https://www.docaviv.co.il/2022-en/yad-vashem-award-three-minutes-a-lengthening/
  9. https://ubrzaj.me/en/three-minutes-a-lengthening/
  10. https://www.glennkurtz.com/home/three-minutes
  11. https://povmagazine.com/bianca-stigter-interview-minutes-a-lengthening/
  12. https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/feature/2022-02-06-bianca-stigter-on-three-minutes-a-lengthening-feature-story-by-amber-wilkinson
  13. https://letterboxd.com/film/three-minutes-a-lengthening/
  14. https://deadline.com/2021/10/three-minutes-a-lengthening-super-ltd-acquires-bianca-stigter-holocaust-doc-helena-bonham-carter-steve-mcqueen-1234858387/
  15. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/dec/04/three-minutes-a-lengthening-review-bianca-stigter-a-profoundly-moving-memorial-to-jewish-lives-cut-short
  16. https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/three-minutes-a-lengthening-review-1234661870/
  17. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/30/three-minutes-a-lengthening-review-fragments-of-a-jewish-town-destroyed-by-war
  18. https://www.sundance.org/blogs/three-minutes-a-lengthening-is-a-cinematic-meditation-on-memory-and-loss-2/
  19. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/three-minutes-a-lengthening_venice-2021-1235006012/
  20. https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/three-minutes-a-world-tragically-lost-captured-in-an-old-home-movie-20230113-p5ccbf.html
  21. https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Three-Minutes-A-Lengthening-%282022-Netherlands%29
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12017738/
  23. https://www.criticschoice.com/2022/10/17/nominations-unveiled-for-the-seventh-annual-critics-choice-documentary-awards-presented-by-national-geographic-documentary-films/
  24. https://www.documentary.org/awards2022/shortlist
  25. http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2022/12/7/144-films-eligible-for-best-documentary-feature-for-the-95th.html
  26. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/03/movies/three-minutes-a-lengthening-documentary.html
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