The Chorus was up for the 2005 Foreign Film Oscar, which eventually went to Spain's The Sea Inside, sadly at the expense of the chilling German entry Downfall. The big point in relation to this film though, is that The Chorus is a feelgood French film, inoffensive and nicely realised.

A middle-aged music teacher arrives at a strictly disciplined boarding school, where unruly children are given strong commands and punishments if they step out of line. Of course, the new music teacher is a kinder soul, who believes the kids will respond to creative things, and so forms a choir and finds these unruly boys have a gentler side if treated with a little respect.

It's a nice storyline and I'm not going to let on what happens but the main problem is that it seems too quietly manipulative, wanting to prey on your emotions in a very dictatorial manner. It loses some sense of authenticity, too,

The choir is made up of boys who have never sung before, but within only a few sessions, they're tackling complex songs as if they'd been at it all their lives. There's also a Lolita-style sub-plot where, as in Death In Venice, the teacher appears to have a soft spot for a particularly attractive young boy, but the director shies away from portraying anything other than an adult/child infatuation. Then there's the headmaster, who, of course, is evil from day one. It's just too obvious.

The film is pleasing, yet ultimately innocuous. It will find admirers, but equally may put off those looking for something a little more challenging.