A moving film that puts a smile on your face.

Rating: 9/10 (4 December 2012)

"The Chorus" takes place in post-war France as boys were placed in boarding schools that were places of both repression and refuge. What I liked most about this film was Clement Mathieu, a failed musician who takes a job as supervisor in the prison-like school, and his attitude towards a group of unfortunate and misunderstood young boys. He treated them with the utmost respect and believed that each one possessed a special gift or talent they could show the world. Two ideas I found interesting were the importance of the children's needs of fathers in their lives is explored in this film. This idea can be easily accepted because of how quickly the children began to have respect for their instructor. His kindness toward the children is returned to him by the students, as they respond to the way he teaches music to motivate and interest them. The children's affection was demonstrated after their instructor was fired by tossing goodbye letters out of the window as he walked away from the school. Another interesting idea was how the colors in the film set the mood for the audience. For example, to allow the feeling of transformation within the school, the color goes from grays, to bold and bright colors towards the end. Not only does this type of detail help set the mood, but also allows the audience to feel as if they were one of students in the film.
A couple of things that were particularly French were the food that the children were served, and the principle's (Rachin) attitude of sincerity and outspokenness. The music, which was created by the film director, gives the film the right tone. It has such a sweetness to it that it disarms us and gets us into the right mood for enjoying it even more. The acting was very outstanding, simple, and comical at times, especially from Clement. The children were very sweet, especially the very little Pepinot.
The director, Christophe Barratier, began his career as a classical guitarist, winning several international competitions. In 1991 he joined Galatee Films, where he was an associate producer on several movies, including "Winged Migration (2001). He then directed his first short, Les Tombales (2002). He next wrote, directed and composed the music for his first film "The Chorus" (2005). This movie won the Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival and has been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film at the BAFTA Awards.