A world-famous orchestra conductor discovers he has a brother with exceptional musical talent in The Marching Band. Can the conductor use his resources to ensure his brother can realise his musical dreams? The Stereo Geeks received an advanced screener of The Marching Band and Ron shares her review here.

Directed by Emmanuel Courcol, The Marching Band, original title En Fanfare, follows Thibaut (Benjamin Lavernhe), a famous orchestra conductor who travels between France and the USA for his work. Thibaut collapses during a conducting session and subsequently learns he has leukaemia. He needs a bone marrow transplant and his younger sister should be a match. She isn’t – because she isn’t his sister. This is not exactly how Thibaut would have wanted to find out that he had been adopted as a child, and that he has a biological brother.

Enter Jimmy (Pierre Lottin), who works at a school canteen and plays the trombone in the local marching band. Jimmy is a fit for Thibaut’s medical needs but he really doesn’t want to have anything to do with the posh, rich man who’s apparently related to him.

Yet the brothers end up bonding over their shared love for music. While Thibaut has parlayed his lifelong lessons and sacrifices into a globe-trotting career, for Jimmy, music simply comes naturally and provides an escape from the drudgery of daily life. They may have the same genes, but their different circumstances keep them apart.

While watching The Marching Band, one would expect Jimmy to be the one who holds their socio-economic disparities against his brother. And while he is resentful, and a bit jealous, it is Thibaut who beats himself up about his brother’s lack of chances. Through a cruel twist of fate, Thibaut was adopted by an affluent family and he wanted for nothing. While Jimmy languished in a home full of love, but with no resources. And yet, it becomes evident that Jimmy is more naturally talented. He may even have surpassed the life Thibaut has made for himself had circumstances been different.

However, the brotherly ties are not the only area that’s strained by economics. While Jimmy and Thibaut attempt to bond, Jimmy’s friend and possible love interest, Sabrina (Sarah Suco), is fighting her own battles alongside many band members. The factory they used to work at is being shut down and the workers are all on strike, and have been so for months. 

Tensions are rising and the workers are sinking deeper into debt. Even when people try to help with the limited resources available to them, they only suffer consequences for lending a hand. It’s a lose-lose situation, one that Jimmy and Sabrina are struggling through while they watch Thibaut coasting through life.

There’s a lot to love about The Marching Band. It isn’t surprising why the film was France’s official selection at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, or why the film has become such a sensation in France. It’s a sweet, comedic, and heartwarming film about family, sibling bonds, and how music can bring people together.

I particularly loved the contrasts between Jimmy’s disorganized but enthusiastic band and Thibaut’s prim and proper orchestras. It’s a simple visual to show how far apart the brothers’ two worlds are. Those differences are made more stark by strong performances by Lavernhe and Lottin. They don’t look much alike, but when they’re playing music together, the actors manage to capture a brotherly connection that comes right through the screen. Lottin plays Jimmy as broad and slouchy, while Lavernhe is always upright and contained – body language telling viewers more about their life circumstances than words can. Yet their easy chemistry makes it believable that, in another world, the two of them could have been more alike.

I also need to give a shoutout to Sarah Suco, who may not have the largest role as Sabrina, but manages to be the heart of The Marching Band. The music-loving factory worker who is ready to stick to her guns no matter how bad things get, and who also makes time and energy to encourage Jimmy’s dreams, even when he doesn’t believe in them. Suco plays Sabrina as a wonderful friend and she was such a joy to watch every time she appeared on the screen.

With natural performances from the cast, a touching story, and a layered plot, The Marching Band is a must-watch. It celebrates how music brings people together but doesn’t shy away from spotlighting the socio-economic crises we’re living through.

While The Marching Band is being described as a comedy, there really aren’t that many comedic moments. I found the film more emotional than comedic – the economic and job-related parts of the story were the only things I could really focus on. The music is beautiful and easy to lose oneself in, and, of course, seeing the brothers connect and begin to love each other despite their differences was wonderful. Yet, my lasting thought is about how the circumstances of our birth and family play an outsized role in our life trajectory, and that seems wholly unfair in a world where the wealth gap is only growing larger.

The Marching Band released in theatres on August 24.