les choristes summary

the movies begins in the present, Pierre Morhange. He recieves a call from France informing him of his mother's death, Morhange returns to france for the funeral. while at his french house, a man appears at his door. He doesn't know who the man is, the man reveals himself to be Pepinot. One of his old classmates at the correctional school fond de L'etang they attended in 1949. then pepinot shows Morhange the journal of Mathieu, their supervisor and unofficial choir conductor. they start reading the rest of the journal.

It's 1949 and Mathieu has taken the position of supervisor at the Fond L'etang, a school for troubled boys. He resigned to giving up his dream of composing music, he doesn't care about the attitude of his predecessor as supervisor. he tries to warn him about dangerous students at the school.

the unsympathetic headmaster Rachin who had imposed a prhase " Action equals reaction" in the school. he and another man, Chabert, liberally administer.

Mathieu can't control his students and decides to try and get through to them with music. he manages to capture his students' interest. Pierre Morhange joins the chorus with Mondain a special case from the local mental institute, he is borderline case with an extremaly violent and anti-social attitude.

Mondain refuses to obey Mathieu's order, he is disobedient and Morhange refuses to participate in the choir too, Because Mr. Mathieu has developed romantic feelings for his mother Violette.

Mondain is accused because Rachin thougth that he stoled 200,000 Francs and Mondain is arrested by the police. Maxance finds the money along with a pupil's harmonica, so is revealed who is the real thief. Rachin who is not told about the thief's identity, refuses to accept Mondain again.

Rachin goes to a ceremony to receive a medal, but it's interrupted as terrible news from Fond de L'etang telling him that the school was burning. But the students had gone out with Maxence and Mathieu in the forest, Rachin is angry with both of them because they neglected their responsability by leaving the school. then Rachin fires Mathieu but the film closes when pepinot asks Mr Mathieu to go with him and Mr. Mathieu says yes.

Pierre and his mother soon leave her fiance after he tries to send pierre to another boarding school.