Ralph Fiennes Conducts 'The Choral' In Trailer for Heartfelt World War I Drama

From tortured romantic heroes and monstrously terrifying villains to famous faces from literature and world-weary Catholic cardinals, British actor Ralph Fiennes has already proven that he's a performer who can do anything. (Except, apparently, get appropriately recognized for his work by the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, which is, I think we can all agree, a crime. Give the man an Oscar, for goodness' sake!) But, not to fear, Fiennes isn't slowing down anytime soon, and his next project seems laser-targeted to not only tug at moviegoers' heartstrings but (one can hope) attract the attention of various cinematic award bodies.

He's leading The Choral, a World War I period piece about the power of both music and community to hold the world together in dark times. Set in 1916 Yorkshire, the film follows the story of the Ramsden Choral Society, which has inexorably lost most of its male members to conscription and the war effort, including their chorus master. The committee in charge is determined to keep the music alive, however, and immediately begins trying to find a way to keep going, from recruiting a crop of teenage boys and girls to sing to tapping a German transplant to lead them. Fiennes plays Dr. Henry Guthrie, a driven, no-nonsense leader whose dedication to music gradually overcomes his new neighbors' suspicions about his ancestry and background.

As you can see from the trailer below, this is precisely the type of story many of us have seen before, the sort of soul-warming comfort food meant to remind us that hope and happiness can still be found in the darkest of times, as long as we remain in community with one another. Nothing about this movie is likely going to surprise you; in fact, the trailer gives away the bulk of its plot. But it's probably also exactly the kind of movie we all desperately need right now.