Starring Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes (TIFF ’24’s Conclave), this heart-soaring period drama from director Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George) tells the story of young men raising their voices in song under the shadow of WWI.
Friday, September 12: This film will be presented with open captions, but please note, ASL interpretation will not be available for the live onstage elements of the screening.
Propelled by Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes, this inspiring drama from veteran director Nicholas Hytner (The Lady in the Van, TIFF ’15) depicts a British choir director’s efforts to assemble an ensemble during the darkest days of the First World War. Written by Hytner’s frequent collaborator, revered playwright and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George), The Choral is a testament to music’s power to sustain our souls in troubled times.
The year is 1916 and the Great War is draining a Yorkshire town of its men, leaving the local choral society without voices. For a performance of Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, the society’s director, Dr. Guthrie (Fiennes), is forced to recruit his singers from among the town’s adolescent population. Guthrie is a demanding taskmaster, yet under his guidance these teens will come to know the transcendent joys of singing together, while steeling themselves for their impending conscription.
Joined by fellow British acting legends Simon Russell Beale (TIFF ’17’s The Death of Stalin) and Roger Allam (TIFF ’06’s The Wind That Shakes the Barley), Fiennes is in top form here, embodying the proverbial stiff upper lip while allowing vulnerability to break through the veneer of reserve.
The Choral is a deftly executed period tale that reminds us of the importance of cultivating community and using art to process anxieties and generate hope.
Screenings
Scotiabank 2
Roy Thomson Hall
Scotiabank 2
Scotiabank 14