Paradise Road

Based on real events that took place during World War II, the film tells the story of a socially diverse group of mainly British and Australian women who, while escaping from the invasion of Singapore, are captured by the Japanese and held in a brutal POW camp. The film’s central thread follows the women’s efforts to keep spirits alive by uniting in a ‘vocal orchestra’. Beresford’s humanistic approach conveys vividly how, despite chaos, hatred and strife, the women managed to create something pure and beautiful : music. This is all the more accentuated by the fact that the chorale did not perform popular songs, but intricate classical music. He shows how ordinary women become extraordinary.