I am a sucker for classical music films (**Amadeus**, **Immortal Beloved**, **Impromptu**, **Hilary and Jackie**, **A Late Quartet**, and **Shine** to name a few). After stumbling upon a clip from _**TwoSet Violin**_ YouTube Channel, I eagerly popped **Le Concert**.

The film starts promising enough. **Andrey Filipov** (played by _**Aleksey Guskov**_) is an alcoholic janitor at Russia's Bolshoi Theater, where he was once a renowned world famous conductor. The film gradually peels off layers behind his downfall.

Sheer luck affords him an opportunity to gather his disgraced orchestra (comprised of Russian Jews) to perform at Paris's Théâtre du Châtelet.

The film falls apart once everyone gathers in Paris, where comedy overtakes the film, taking the audience into cringe inducing absurdity.

It is ultimately saved by _**Mélanie Laurent**_, whose charisma steals every scenes she's in.

As the final layers are peeled off in the final act, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, the film transforms into emotional crescendo that, while shamelessly manipulative at times, is undeniably effective and feels genuine.