Saw this Boychoir at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2014, on the second day of its opening. At the meeting with the main creator before the official opening, the director mentioned that this is his fourth time participating in TIFF. Various thanks to the actors, creators and screenwriters (the screenwriter is the guy who wrote the source code before.) Dustin Huffman also made a brief speech, he said, "it's a special movie, we hear that a lot. But you know films can be special and not work. And it can be special and work.... Hope you enjoy."
I did enjoy the movie. It's not a great one, but still a good one.
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This rebellious 12 -year -old boy STET, unruly, has excellent musical talent, and do not hesitate to fists for students who attack the mother. Counterattack (also laid the groundwork for the later plot). (Unsurprisingly) Mother was a barmaid, alcoholic, depressed, and died in a car accident. The boy's biological father appeared, driving a Mercedes-Benz SUV, in a neat suit, and he hesitated to call, Stet? He hadn't seen his son in 12 years, Stet's birth was an accident, and his father's other family knew nothing about it.
Under the persuasion of the female tutor at Stet's school, his father relied on a lot of sponsorship to put Stet into The American Boychoir's private school (this school is real, and a lot of boys' singing in the movie is from the performance of the school's students, they also came to the TIFF scene, and received a long standing applause from the entire audience after the movie). Here, Stet began to receive professional music training, and also began to correct the direction of his life.
From being isolated and ridiculed at the beginning, to being gradually recognized by classmates and teachers, to joining the official choir tour, to showing his talents in an accident to replace the sick lead singer, to being framed by the original lead singer and almost being dropped out of school, to the end Take the lead in the key singing. In the middle, all kinds of waves (gou) and folds (xue) you can imagine are all available (too lazy to write), but it does not make people feel pretentious.
Dustin Huffman is the choir's conductor, mentor and soul. This old man who seemed to be the most stubborn, the most inflexible, the most principled, and the most unreasonable, led Stet in the right direction time and time again at critical moments. This old man who seemed the most inhumane at first, shielded Stet from being fired at a critical moment, and let Stet lead the singing in the final singing. At the end of the film, when Stet was about to leave school, the old man said to his colleagues seriously, I never write a letter of recommendation, they take lessons here, not start a career (to the effect). And when the camera changed, Stet finally opened his hand. The envelope clearly reads: To whom it may concern, Stet is the best student I have ever had. Stet's seemingly selfish biological father was also moved by his voice and confessed everything to his wife. At the end of the film, the invitation Stet lives with his family.
That's the plot of the movie. Nothing special (everything is to be expected), no surprises or twists and turns, but the rhythm is just right. The boys sing the sound of nature throughout the movie, and you can literally see the angels falling.
Talk about a few details in the movie.
At first, the female tutor in the school said, You have the voice. Just keep going to that direction.
After the youngest male teacher in the private school made progress in Stet's class, he started to perform in Tokyo regardless of the jet lag, and fell asleep in the middle of the night. Huffman's phone, said He has the voice.
When Huffman guided Stet, he emphasized several times fiercely, you have the talent/voice, but you don't care about the music.
In fact, at the end, Stet completed a stunning D major hallelujah performance After that, there was no smooth sailing to continue to lead the coquettish style. Immediately he was confronted with the problem that all boys choir members face sooner or later: development, and the consequent voice change (drake voice). Aggrieved, he went to the young male teacher and had the following dialogue (to the point)
Stet: I knew there would be such a day, but I didn't expect it to be so early.
Teacher: Growth will always come, and one cannot fail to grow, ha ha.
Stet: Is it possible to become a tenor (Alto)
teacher after I change my voice: (to put it mildly) Not all children's sopranos can become tenors.
Stet: Then why did I spend so much time and effort to train singing?
Teacher: (Silence for a while) Because you have such talent, you have to use your talent.
My favorite part of the whole movie is the one above.
Also applies to everyone. No matter what talent you have, if you have it, use it. Don't waste, never!
Because you get the gift, you gotta use it.
DO NOT EVER WASTE YOUR GIFT. NEVER!
PS The ending song is very nice
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My Chinese writing has been seriously degraded. Sentences are not sentences. Sorry.
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