The Choral (2025)★ 6.6/10

Art is meant to be remade for future generations, whether that’s movies or music. In crisis, art brings some much-needed levity. In THE CHORAL, the crisis is World War 1, and the art is music. It’s 1916. It’s hard to go about daily life when you or your neighbours can be taken at any moment. When a choral society’s choir master leaves to go to war, they are forced to hire the controversial pariah Dr. Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes). He uses unconventional tactics, expanding the choir to include people from all walks of life. Fiennes is great as always, rebellious and fun. This is a very British film, and I know there are some famous Brits in here, but they went over my head. The script mainly focuses on Guthrie and a few young men who are worried about being conscripted into the war. The few females they do focus on are framed only to their relationships to the men. I cared more about them than the guys. The movie does a great job of making you feel like you’re there. Grief-stricken women getting notices of their loved one’s deaths. Outbound trains sending young men off to war. Inbound trains bringing the wounded or dead back home. It’s a small movie with a hopeful heart. Overall, THE CHORAL has a hard time harmonizing its characters and themes, but its message has a crystal-clear sound that reverberates across generations.