The Chorus (Les Choristes)

The salutary effect a dedicated teacher can have on even the most recalcitrant student is given a period twist in this sweet-and-sour (but mostly sweet) Oscar-nominee from France. Set in 1949, Christophe Barratier's The Chorus focuses on a frustrated musician named Mathieu, who takes a job as a dorm supervisor at a forbidding school for troubled boys. Although the place is run like a miniature prison by a martinet headmaster, the more enlightened newcomer believes that he can break through to his surly charges by forming a chorus, thereby instilling a feeling of accomplishment among them while also creating harmony (in both senses). The effect is immediate, particularly in one of the boys, an angelic-faced troublemaker named Morhange, whose treble voice proves even more heavenly than his appearance; but complications arise, of course, mostly from the malice of that horrible headmaster (though you can be certain Mathieu will enjoy a personal triumph even in the face of professional defeat). Yes, this is a highly manipulative piece, but it's also difficult to resist, and Gerard Jugnot and Jean-Baptiste Maunier are excellent as Mathieu and Morhange, and are joined by plenty of scene-stealers among the other students (especially a pint-sized urchin called Pepinot). So, if you're up for Goodbye, Mr. Chips, played with a French accent and lots of musical notes, you'll find much to enjoy here. Recommended. (F. Swietek)