“Mrs Carey’s Concert” (2011)

Do you remember ever being forced into doing something at school that you didn’t want to?  P.E., a speech competition or a communal sing-song?  At the heart of “Mrs Carey’s Concert” there’s a battle of wills between a determined if well intentioned teacher and an obstinate student who at first seems sulky and hormonal.

Mrs Carey lives and breaths classical music.  It’s her mission in life to plan, prepare and endlessly rehearse a biannual concert in the Sydney Opera House, one that not only showcases her music department but the entire student body at the elite high school where she teaches.

Carey’s nemesis is a rather fetching Asian student called Iris, a girl who puts no effort into the compulsory singing sessions.  Seeing her as a disruptive influence, Mrs Carey attempts to win Iris over by talking about selfishness and stressing how much of a privilege the experience of making music in the most iconic of Australian venues is.  Iris resists the arguments, articulating a philosophy of her own with surprising clarity.  It is a great moment in a never less than compelling film.

I should point out that “Mrs Carey’s Concert” is not some lame brain teen comedy or angsty melodrama.  It’s a fly-on-the-wall documentary, an exercise in cinema verite where the camera observes the action largely - though not entirely - unacknowledged by the subjects and where the narrative unfolds without recourse to voice-over narration.

The documentary’s title suggests a certain kind of “To Sir, With Love” formula at play, the well-worn cliche of charismatic teacher inspiring errant delinquents to reform.  To an extent “Mrs Carey’s Concert” delivers that in it’s central story, that of gifted violinist Emily putting her rebel days behind her and taking a leading role in the school orchestra.  Music is both Emily’s family legacy and her personal liberation.  You would have to be mighty cynical not to be moved by her journey to maturity and self-belief.

What gives “Mrs Carey’s Concert” an added dimension is the time its makers decide to devote to Iris’ rebellion.  That Emily will enjoy the climactic performance becomes a foregone conclusion.  Iris’ reaction to the concert is where the drama - and the glory - of the concert lies.  Amidst all the euphoric faces at the end hers is the most difficult and ambiguous to read, the true test of Carey’s belief in the transcendent power of music.