Reel Corner - March 2026

March 2026 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine

— The Movie Trifecta —
A war time drama, a classic romance,
and a sunny Italian rom-com

The Choral
Ralph Fiennes, Amara Okereke | Director: Nicholas Hytner

The Choral, from a screenplay by Alan Bennett, is a moving historical drama set in 1916 Yorkshire, England, where a local choral society grapples with the human and artistic toll of World War I. Amid the loss of its male singers to the front lines, the society recruits young locals from bars and injured service men who are recuperating and appoints the enigmatic Dr. Henry Guthrie (Fiennes), a conductor recently returned from Germany, to lead them in Sir Edward Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius.

The film illustrates war's profound impact on art and music, portraying choral rehearsals as a fragile environment of beauty and communal resilience against encroaching grief. Fiennes delivers a commanding performance as Guthrie, while the ensemble—bolstered by actors with musical theatre pedigrees like Amara Okereke as the gifted soprano Mary—brings authentic vocal depth to the story.

True to its restrained ethics, The Choral shuns graphic violence, explicit sex, or profanity, favoring subtle emotional undercurrents and harmonious storytelling to convey how war distorts yet elevates the pursuit of beauty. It remains a thoughtful testament to music's endurance.

Wuthering Heights
Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau | Director: Emerald Fennell

This take on Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is intense and unforgiving—the moody cinematography and bleak landscapes capture Emily Bronte’s atmosphere, and Robbie (Cathy) and Elordi (Heathcliff) deliver raw, magnetic performances.

That said, the film leans heavily on explicit sexual material early on in ways that feel gratuitous rather than illuminating. Some scenes are likely to make many viewers uncomfortable and can overshadow the emotional complexity of the characters. The pacing of the film seems uneven as well, the beginning of the film when Cathy and Heathcliff are children is much more engaging than the slower second half of the film. This production’s commitment to a darker, more naturalistic interpretation will appeal to viewers who want a blunt, raw unromanticized version of the story.

Content warning: explicit sexual content and depictions of abuse. If that is off-putting, try the more restrained 1992 adaptation (Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche) for a classical take.

Solo Mio
Kevin James, Jonathan Roumie, Kim Coates
Director: Brothers, Daniel and Charles Kinnane

Solo Mio offers a gentle uplifting escape set against the stunning backdrop of Italy. The story begins with heartbreak when Matt (James), an American groom, is left at the alter but decides to take his prepaid Italian honeymoon trip anyway. What could have been a bitter tale becomes instead a warm journey of healing and second chances.

Matt’s solo honeymooner tour takes him through Rome and Tuscany, where he meets a local café owner and several vacationing couples who slowly pull him out of his shell.

The film’s most striking asset is its setting. Italian streets, vineyards, and town squares are beautifully filmed with a local festival that vividly conveys the regions love of food, music, and family. The solo honeymoon trip bolsters Matt’s transformation as everyday moments, shared meals, small kindnesses, and spontaneous music by a famed relative gently nudge him toward hope. The film stays refreshingly clean and good-natured, making it suitable for a broad audience. Though the plot is light and somewhat predictable—viewers can sense a happy ending coming—the route there is unusual enough to stay engaged and entertained.

Overall Solo Mio is a sweet, scenic reminder that after heartbreak, life and love can surprise you in the best ways.

References: www.imdb.com; www.toscanafilmcommission.it; www.rottentomatoes.com

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachu-setts, where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts, especially films, she has traveled to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters, Park Plaza Theater and Northridge. To support her habit of frequent movie going, Donne is a vaccine medicine nurse consultant and also the author of 4 Interview Pillars available on Amazon. See you at the movies!