The Violin Teacher

On the plus side, the music is lovely, the favela setting adds energy and texture, and many of the kids are terrific natural actors. Even so, this song is all too familiar - call it To Sir, With Strings.

This beautifully crafted character study pulls off most of the tough stuff it attempts with that extra dose of feeling, perspective, and poetry that elevates mere social commentary into real art.

If The Violin Teacher hits many of the same notes, it also manages a few new ones.

For most of [the first] hour, The Violin Teacher seems as obvious as its title, but then Machado reminds us we're in present-day Brazil, not a Disney movie.