A troubled 11-year-old boy from a broken home struggles to find his niche in a national boys choir, in this warm yet incisive musical drama from the director of The Red Violin. Dustin Hoffman stars as Choirmaster Carvelle, the boarding school’s exacting leader, who has guided his choir to international renown, although young Stet (Garrett Wareing) confronts him with a different kind of challenge. In addition to the lovely choral music throughout, the film achieves resonance and wit in Hoff- man’s subtle performance and those of his fellow pros in the cast, including Kathy Bates, Eddie Izzard and Debra Winger. They keep the movie’s tempo and let the music soar. With Kevin McHale, Josh Lucas. Writer: Ben Ripley. Director: François Girard. (US 2014) 103 min.