JUST saw this film for the SECOND time! Liked it even better! Friends who were also at the screening in unison had just one word for the film...GREAT!
For openers, this is a film about a group of people whose average age is about eighty, during the course of the film which covers slightly less than two months, several of the group die; I won't reveal which ones.
At the age of the groups' members, imminent death is a constant, and the death of fellow member is a sad experience but whether it's due to the legendary New England fortitude of the members, the strength of the group, or the power of the music they are all able to accept the inevitable with equanimity, and return to the task at hand, preparing for a performance.
And what a performance! Several members in interviews state that their favorite type of music is opera, but what they're singing with the group includes James Brown, Jimmy Hendrix and forward...this group is not about nostalgia!
I would have liked more information about the backgrounds of some of the singers, because although they now all reside in Mass., there are reasons, (such as regional accents) to think this was not always thus.
This film will probably end up under the microscopes of gerontologists, who should glean considerable information about the learning abilities, energy and enthusiasm of a group of people not generally noted for these qualities.
