Overview

• Nicholas Hytner’s World War I drama, written by Alan Bennett, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
• Set in 1916 Yorkshire, the story follows a village choral society preparing Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius as losses from the front mount.
• Critics commend Fiennes’s commanding performance as choir master Dr. Guthrie but describe the film as theatrical, crowded, and emotionally thin.
• Several reviews note a handsomely mounted production that skims heavier themes, with one calling it a low-key crowdpleaser that avoids deeper impact.
• Sony Pictures Classics plans a theatrical rollout, opening in the UK on 7 November 2025 and in the US on 25 December 2025.