Movie: My Brother’s Band

Creating a feel-good movie which combines some comedy with illness and economic hardship is never easy.

But French writer/director Emmanuel Courcol achieves this with his latest offering, My Brother’s Band.

The film tells of Thibaut (Benjamin Lavernhe) an internationally renowned orchestra conductor who travels the world and seemingly has a wonderful, privileged life.

His life changes when he is diagnosed with leukemia.  Not only does he discover that he could die without a bone marrow transplant but that his sister, whom he thought would be able to provide that marrow, isn’t his sister.

It turns out Thibaut was adopted as a baby. He then discovers he has a younger brother Jimmy (Pierre Lottin).  Jimmy’s circumstances are far less grand than Thibaut’s. He lives in an industrial town and works for a minimum wage in the school cafeteria. Divorced, he still lives with the woman who raised him and whom he considers to be his mother. Like Thibaut he has a great love of and talent for music, playing the trombone in a community brass band.

The first meeting between the two doesn’t go that well however Jimmy eventually agrees to help Thibaut.

After recovering from his treatment, Thibaut reconnects with Jimmy wanting to do all he can to help his far less prosperous sibling.

That help includes gifting Jimmy a new trombone and assisting his brass band, which has just lost its conductor.  Needless to say, the band is very different to the symphony orchestras that Thibaut is used to conducting, with several of the members not even being able to read music!

Thibaut’s wish to help and the developing relationship between the brothers is especially challenging for Jimmy given their different upbringings and economic circumstances.  Understandably, Jimmy is often resentful of these differences.

A long-term strike at the factory in Jimmy’s home town affecting the band and his many friends, including love interest Sabrina (Sarah Suco), adds to his stress.

Yet despite Jimmy’s often evident anger, Thibaut doesn’t give up.  The ending shows a side of Jimmy, glimpses of which were evident during the 103-minute movie, truly come to the fore.

It’s this memorable ending that has no doubt helped My Brother’s Band receive the highest audience score in the 51-year history of the San Sebastián Film Festival.

Also assisting are the performances of the two leads who match each other’s abilities to bring a range of emotions to life and are totally believable as brothers and talented musicians.

Then there is the music ranging from jazz to classical, which adds to My Brother’s Band appeal as a feel-good movie despite the many trials and tribulations experienced by the brothers.

My Brother’s Band official opens in Australian cinemas on December 26 however a number of advanced screenings are scheduled from December 12 to 14. Visit the My Brother’s Band website for more information.

* ©PalaceFilms