A successful international conductor suddenly interrups his career and returns alone to his childhood village in Norrland, in the far north of Sweden.It doesn't take long before he is asked to come and listen to the fragment of a church choir, which practises every Thursday in the parish hall. Just come along and give a little bit of good advice. He can't say no, and from that moment, nothing in the village is the same again. The choir develops and grows. He makes both friends and enemies. And he finds love.
This is, on it's own, a decent plot summary, but to me the movie meant something quite different. To me this movie presents a way of living which inspires me. As the choir develops and moves into the music guided by the conductor, they also touches some central issues regarding life it self.
As a whole it inspires me as to how life should be lived at it fullest(, and some bad examples also exists to show the difference). It presents a sincere and honest way to meet with all the problems of life. In the movie we meet a husband bullying his wife, a priest of the real old school where christians can't have any fun, a woman with a history of many men, a man being less gifted intellectually, the conductor with his own issues of bullying from his childhood.
Do note that the issues aren't solved, but it shows how to meet them with love and understanding. And how not to handle them, by hiding or ignoring them. All of this comes to a sort of conclusion in two scenes, Gabriellas song and the ending. I will not explain what happens, but if suffices to say that I was moved and inspired and hope to change my life somehow to be an better christian.
Another thing I also like with this movie, is that it in fact isn't an evangelical movie saying that christianity is the ultimate solution to everything. As such it's in fact kind of neutral to religion, and present idioms and ways of living which should apply to everybody. And this really appeals to me, because I stribe to seek a life style where it is clear that I'm a christian, but not because I preach the gospel at all times, but because I have a living, true, honest and sincere relationship with both God and the people that he loves. And that includes you...
