Winner of the International Social Commitment Award, directed by Valerio Zanoli, Hopeful Notes is a must see at this year’s ICFF.

Set in a Russian children’s hospital, and starring Walter Nudo as Alex, Hopeful Notes is a touching story about hope, death and music. Alex is an engineer and pianist dilettante who finds himself volunteering at a children’s hospital, when Misha, a 10 year old violinist is admitted with leukaemia. Within the stuffy and depressing walls of the hospital, Alex and Misha decide to bring music and fun to children who don’t have very long to live.

Not many kids movies deal with such themes, and few as harshly and delicately as this one. We see kids hidden away from the world to die alone. We see kids refuse to read fairy tales because they don’t believe in happy endings. It’s pretty bleak. And when the tone turns towards the optimistic, even that is tempered by not-as-good-as-you-had-hoped. The music throughout is excellent, culminating in a concert organised to raise desperately needed funds for the hospital. Nudo is impressive as Alex, the reluctant mentor and big brother to the kids.

Occasionally hokey, but with its heart in the right place, Hopeful Notes is highly recommended.

Donal O’connor