The Choral

Directed by Nicholas Hytner and written by Alan Bennett (the pair teaming up again following The History Boys, The Madness of King George and The Lady and the Van), this British drama-comedy is one of the year’s genuine treats. Set in Yorkshire, it follows the attempts to mount a choral performance while the show’s usual players have been conscripted in the First World War. Drafted into choirmaster role Dr Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) must turn a troupe of novices and vagabonds into a serviceable spectacle, all while world events cast a long shadow. 

Ralph Fiennes anchors this story, the latest addition to a career purple patch with varied yet excellent roles in Conclave, 28 Years Later and The Menu. As one would expect from a film helmed by a former artistic director of the The National Theatre, it also boast a supporting cast of theatre heavyweights (Simon Russell Beale, Roger Allam, Oliver Chris) and superb new finds (Jacob Dudman, Amara Okereke and Taylor Uttley) that offer a refreshingly different perspective of life during wartime.