by allan tong for FILmbutton

Alex has been working in Russia for several years and is about to return home to Italy. However, he meets a child who resides in the cancer ward of a nearby hospital and is drawn into his world. Touched by the plight of these children, Alex volunteers to stay and play piano for them in the hopes of inspiring them. The story has its heart in the right place and Walter Nudo holds his own as Alex, but the beginning is confusing, failing to estalish where the story takes place and who Alex is. The casting is inconsistent with performances ranging from good to terrible. Meanwhile, the production design and saturated cinematography try to create an idealized world, but doesn’t quite connect to the story. Hopeful Notes doesn’t strike all the right cords.

ICFF Screening Time: June 28, 9:30 pm

Allan is a Toronto filmmaker, co-directing Leone Stars, a documentary about child victims of the Sierra Leonean civil war.