1. • Daniel Daréus is a
successful and renowned
international conductor
whose life aspiration is to
create music that will open
people's hearts. His own
heart, however, is in bad
shape. After suffering
a heart attack on stage at
the end of a performance,
he retires indefinitely
to Norrland in the far north
of Sweden, to the village
where he endured a terrible
childhood of bullying.

2. Daniel buys the old elementary
school in the village, and soon
after is asked to come along one
Thursday night and listen to the
local choir. He is only asked to
listen, and maybe offer some
helpful advice, but their
intentions of persuading him to
help are obvious. He eventually
agrees to help, albeit reluctantly.
The parish minister offers him the
position of cantor. He accepts and
sees the choir grow and develop,
rediscovering his own joy in
music.

3. • Almost immediately, Lena an
attractive young girl in the choir,
catches his attention. As they
grow closer and fall in love, he
realises that he is surrounded by
the villagers' personal problems.
1. Inger , is married to the respected
minister, Stig , but has failed to
develop a loving sexual
relationship with her husband.
2. Siv , is so obsessed with
morality that she cannot enjoy
herself.

4. 2. Arne , is so ambitious for the choir's
success that he obsesses over tiny
mistakes, failing to see that he is making
bigger mistakes himself.
3. Tore , is mentally handicapped and
shunned but is eventually included in the
choir;
4. Holmfrid , has put up with being called
"Fatso" by Arne since childhood and
eventually stands up to him
5. Gabriella , is beaten and abused by her
husband, Connie , a fact that is known and
ignored by the whole village. She eventually
finds the strength to leave him, as the whole
village finds its strength to help her.

5. Connie himself turns out to be
the bully who was at school
with Daniel and drove him
from the village. He blames
the choir and Daniel for his
wife's decision and beats
him up. This lands Connie in
jail. The minister, Stig, is
jealous of the choir's
success and tries to close it
down. His failure
precipitates his eventual
nervous breakdown. Heart
after heart opens, as it had
always been Daniel's dream.

6. • The choir is accepted into the annual
"Let the Peoples Sing" competition,
and they journey
to Innsbruck, Austria to perform.
Lena fears Daniel will leave her for his
sophisticated friends from the music
world. They argue, make up
• . On the day of the competition, the
choir is ready on stage but Daniel is
nowhere to be seen. His heart has
been affected by his anxiety, and he
has another heart attack. Daniel
staggers into the restroom, unsure of
how to handle the situation, then
stumbles and hits his head on the
pipe below a sink, causing him to
bleed severely.

7. • He lies helplessly on the tile,
blood gushing from his head,
listening to the choir
harmonising over the
loudspeakers. The audience in
the auditorium is enchanted
and sings along. Daniel smiles
to himself and then dies,
completely fulfilled by
reaching his goal.
• The final scene shows Daniel
rushing towards his younger
self as he embraces his life's
goal, to "create music that will
open a person's heart

8. THEMES.
1. Individuals striving for self-realisation (identity)
2. Authority versus non-conformity
3. Power of charismatic leaders (charming leader)
4. Realism versus idealism
5. Effect of family pressure
6. Individual n society .
7. Importance of education .
8. True education.
9. Emotions over mind.

9. 10. THE TRANSFORMING /CATHARTIC EFFECT OF MUSIC.
11. FOLLOWING ONES INSTINCT
12. HAVING A PASSION FOR LIFE AND MAKING THE MOST
OF EVERY MOMENT.
13. MEETING DEATH FEARLESSLY.
14. THE POWER OF UNITY & SUPPORT.
15. INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM IMPORTANT FOR SOCIETAL
FREEDOM.
16. EXTERNAL ISSUES DUE TO INNER VOID.
17. INTERNAL CONSCIOUSNESS AWAKENING OVER
EXTERNAL RULES.