A Chorus of Angels (2012)

Original title: 北のカナリアたち

A teacher, Kawashima Haru, arrives on a remote island, north of Hokkaido. She has accompanied her husband, Yukio, to become the teacher of six students. Once Haru discovers the children’s beautiful singing voices, she brightens their spirits by leading them in a chorus. Smiles now break out on the faces of the children, who had been bored at school before her arrival. Their angelic voices reverberate across the wilderness, warmly basking the residents’ hearts. One day, Abe, a policeman with a troubled soul, arrives on the island. Haru, who harbors her own secret pain, is increasingly moved by the long shadow cast over Abe’s heart. But one summer’s day, Haru’s husband dies in an accident on a picnic with her students. The terrible wound in Haru’s heart causes her to abandon her worried father and flee the island. Although she has escaped the island, she remains concerned for her students...