
Director: Kay Pollak
Cast: Michael Nyqvist, Frida Hallgren

This film was 1 of the 5 that made it to the ultimate nomination in Oscar 2005 (foreign films category).

It tells the story of a successful conductor who returned to his childhood village and was asked to help out with a choir ...

What is good ...
-- The audience is constantly reminded that "The purpose of music is to open one's heart!" ... and predictably, it did for the protagonist, and many of the supporting characters ... ha ha ha
-- Belying the simplistic plot, the film dwells with a number of issues, from fear and passion, to strength and power, from love and family, to life and work, etc ... 
-- It has a nice soundtrack, and the main song has very meaningful lyrics.

What I thought could be better ...
-- Oh no, I actually do not like the ending, which reminds me so much of "Dead Poets Society" ... when everyone joins in the chorus ... to me, it is kind of contrived ...
-- Although the film has many underlying messages, the characterizations are rather simplified archetypes (except the lead) ...
-- Hmmm, if you are expecting lots of singing (like Les Choristes), you may be disappointed.

Conclusion:
I find the film above average, but it did not blow me away ...