Sing

When young "Zsofi" (Karádi Borbála) arrives at her new school, her one wish is to join it's choir. She befriends it's star singer "Liza" (Hais Dorottya) and goes to a rehearsal. It's after this that she is told by the teacher "Miss Erika" (Szamosi Zsófia) that in future it's best that she just mime along to the songs - she's not yet good enough to actually sing! Disconsolate, her friend soon realise that there is something amiss and after a few days of persistence finally finds out. At the next practise session the young "Liza" notices a little more than she is supposed to and with the competition looming, the choir decide it's time to make their presence felt. The acting from the girls and their teacher is engaging, and I did like the ending - it works really quite well in this charming and enjoyable story of teamwork with just a tiny hint of revenge!

First the positive: kudos for the actors.

Now the bad: everything else. We should believe none, not any of the juries, any of the parents, neither the members of the choir noticed any problem. Neither why the teacher don't even try to close the gaps. The connections between the characters are entirely artificial. And we should believe the kids, who segregated themselves so much they have an absolutely strict order where to sit when (even during recess), and despite there is free space they ostracize a student by refusing to sit there - these kids supposedly can cooperate to any noble purpose.

If we'd go into details the problems would just accumulate. I suggest leave this thing alone.

And I am a hungarian. Well, not according to the Prime Law - which never had the proper authorization -, which strips everyone not Christian their citizenship, so I assume my opinion doesn't matter there.

Mindenki ("Sing") offers a window into the heart and soul of a friendship and loyalty, of fairness and justice through the eyes of a young Hungarian girl. The film does beautifully with its use of choir and music, thus reinforcing emotions and the gravitas to the symbolism and tension between silence and freedom of speech, a theme that runs implicitly through the film. And still, "Sing" also offers a sweet, reminiscent look into child's play and the power of art and of fairness as primary for children. A beautiful, must-see, and redemptive film, sure to touch any or all who have also felt silenced and who needed a friend at times. A joy and a masterpiece of Hungarian cinema.

This was a charming piece overall. The young girls gave exceptional performances and the writing did exemplify competence in film storytelling. All of the moments worked except for what happens in the end. Inventive way of dealing with the problem of exclusion but it sends the message that everyone should be accepted. For example, a basketball team would now have to accept anyone who goes out for the team and let them play merely because they show up. Forget whether they can play or not, like it used to be, they just have to show up. This is pretty much what the film is telling us and when you see it you will know what I mean.

In this list I usually review feature length movies, that is films with a duration of at least one hour. Exceptions to this rule are relatively rare. Examples are "The bespoke overcoat" (1955, Jack Clayton) and "Vincent" (1982, Tim Burton).

The Hungarian short "Sing" is another exception. Apart from being short (25 minutes) it is also meant as a children's movie. This is however not to be taken very literally. I saw the film from 22:15 - 22:40 PM, not children's prime time.

The film is about a girl that has recently moved to a new elementary school . She is somewhat uncertain and to make friends she joints the school choir.

I will not further elaborate on the plot. Let is suffice that the plot contains some ethical choices (to be honest versus to be successful) and some life experiences (best intentions causing serious (psychological) injuries. Both are viewed from the perspective of both children and adults.

In 2017 the film rightly won an Oscar in the category Best Live Action Short film.