Military Wives directed by Peter Cattaneo, summed up in one word is emotional yet inspirational.
Based off the true story which we all know about as there has been a BBC documentary series inspired by the true story called, The Choir: Military Wives. Now we have a film inspired by the story. This film shows a choir of military wives who come together and, in the end, put on a moving performance at the Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall.
It feels as if this film is trying to fit in with other Brit comedies such as The Fully Monty and Calendar Girls etc. This film tries to fit in but it just doesn’t reach, in the sense that this film isn't really that funny but it is still heart-warming and emotional. We really see the true impact of the military wives, what they go through and how they support one another.
The leaders of this choir are posh uptight Kate (Kristin Scott Thomas) and laidback Lisa (Sharon Horgan). These two argue throughout about how they each see how to make this choir work but, in the end, they become close friends. Kate is a very complex character; we see her as strong yet as the film goes on, we see her break because of the loss of her son. In this film, we see not only the impact of being a military wife but also how they deal with loss, what they go through on a daily basis. This is a true insight into what they go through and what wives of the military still go through today.
The choir is made up of a range of different personalities such as Jess (Gaby French) who begins shy and withdrawn until she starts singing and gains confidence. Opposite to Jess is tone-deaf Ruby (Lara Rossi) who has plenty of confidence but can't hold a tune sometimes.
The ending credits sequence to the accompaniment to Sister Sledge's, We Are Family, which shows all the real-life military wife choirs.
Military Wives isn't a complicated film but it has a lot of heart and tells an honest story. This film will make you cry yet it is a powerful film and story while still being enjoyable to watch again and again. The songs sung are catchy and seeing the cast and women sing will make you smile. A good film, with a strong cast inspired by an inspiring story.
