After hitting UK cinemas on November 7, 2025, US theaters finally got their taste of The Choral on Christmas (December 25, 2025), giving Anglophiles one last burst of musical drama for the year. Produced by Head Gear Films and Metrol Technology, and distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, it is about a choirmaster trying to turn a mix of teenagers and the elderly into an effective choir. So far, so Glee.
The twist is that it takes place in the Yorkshire town of Ramsden during World War I, and the choirmaster is Dr Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes: Coriolanus 2011, The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014), a gay, atheist Germanophile. He becomes the town’s only viable choirmaster after their original goes off to the front, as he tries to get the choir to sing a piece by Edward Elgar. But between Dr Guthrie’s split sentiments, Relationship Drama among the choir members, and the looming threat of conscription, it may take more than music to save them.
So, it is grittier than some ‘save-the-social-club’ flick or TV special, as practically everyone in the cast has their own bitter subplot to see through. Whether it is Bella (Emily Fairn: Joy 2024, Saturday Night 2024) split between her new partner and her old boyfriend Clyde (Jacob Dudman: The Last Kingdom- Seven Kings Must Die 2023, Doctor Who: The Tenth/Eleventh/Twelfth Doctor Chronicles radio show), Salvation Army nurse Mary (Amara Okereke: In the Lost Lands 2025, The Morning After series) balancing her love of God with her passion for a man, Alderman Duxbury (Roger Allam: V For Vendetta 2005, The Wind That Shakes the Barley 2006) mourning his late son.
These are just a few of the many plates the movie spins, all backed up by a host of sung classical and not-so-classical pieces. The script was written by esteemed author and playwright Alan Bennett (Beyond the Fringe 1964), and directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible 1996), who previously adapted Bennett’s other works, like 1994’s The Madness of King George, 2006’s The History Boys, and 2015’s The Lady in the Van. Each one was critically praised, so one would think The Choral would join their ranks.
It certainly hits the dramatic beats, and despite its multiple angles, it offers an interesting main story in which the antagonist is the Great War itself. Everyone is wrecked one way or another by the First World War, be it physically like Clyde, emotionally like Duxbury, sentimentally like Guthrie, and it is about to hurt more like the choir boys who are just one birthday away from being conscripted.
Fiennes steals the show as Guthrie, as he tries to hold himself together when his Germanophilia puts him at odds in a time when even the Royal Family had to change their name to sound less Teutonic. Particularly when his German appreciation goes beyond Bach, and his artistic visions begin to clash with the others as much as his wartime ones. He is a textbook example of how “a warlike, various and a tragical age is the best to write of, but the worst to write in.”
However, the supporting cast put in strong performances too, often providing working-class snark to the refined pretensions. Despite already being an acclaimed theatrical actor, Okereke is perhaps the breakout star in bringing that experience back to the screen, with great singing and acting across the board. Dudman also works great, though his character comes in late to the movie.
So, great acting, great singing, an interesting overall message, and effective direction that makes the most of the storytelling. But compared to King George, The History Boys, etc, it does fall short as its different subplots do not quite come together. The movie tries to give equal attention to all of them, but it might have been stronger if it had focused on one or two.
Why give Guthrie more development, building on his own lost love and tensions with his pianist (Robert Emms: Chernobyl series, Andor series), when they need scenes of Mary being courted, and implied sexual scenes that feel like a sadder, more British version of 1999’s American Pie? They do show the impact the war could have on relationships, but the execution is rather clunky.
In short, The Choral is a good film that could have been great, especially with Fiennes and Okereke making it a must-watch for fans of anti-war films. If only it excised some of those extra spinning plates to make the main ones look better. As it is, it is a powerfully acted, beautifully sung movie that comes off somewhat scattershot and unfocused. Which means Cryptic Rock gives The Choral 3 out of 5 stars.
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