Ralph Fiennes brings depth and pathos to a new Alan Bennett tale, of a WWI-era community brought to life through song.

In 1915, a village in rural Yorkshire stages Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius for its embattled townspeople, hiring the Germany-trained outsider Dr. Guthrie to lead the choir. He is faced with divided, suspicious, and often-bereft locals while continuing to feel wounds of his own – but with the music, they can develop something that transcends it all. With his trusted director Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George, The Lady in the Van), Bennett tells a comfortable but unsentimental story, where both war’s damage and the power of art to lift people above it fully convince. Once again, Fiennes gives subtle power to the lead role, with outstanding backing from Roger Allam, Mark Addy, et al.