(En fanfare)
Country: FR
Technical: col/2.35:1 102m
Director: Emmanuel Courcol
Cast: Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Lottin, Sarah Suco
Synopsis:
A conductor stricken with leukaemia finds a bone marrow donor in the shape of a brother he never knew he had; a debt it turns out he can repay in lending his musical support to the town's marching band.
Review:
Brothers separated in infancy, cancer, sidelined younger sister, Nord-Pas-de-Calais factory closure, social/musical chips on shoulders... The screenplay strains to accommodate so many dramatic elements and loses momentum halfway through; rather as with Brassed Off, we edge towards a finale whose challenge is to erase the sadness and bitterness without seeming too pat. The director just about holds the dramedy together, and the musical theme helps provide a unifying thread.
(En fanfare)
Country: FR
Technical: col/2.35:1 102m
Director: Emmanuel Courcol
Cast: Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Lottin, Sarah Suco
Synopsis:
A conductor stricken with leukaemia finds a bone marrow donor in the shape of a brother he never knew he had; a debt it turns out he can repay in lending his musical support to the town's marching band.
Review:
Brothers separated in infancy, cancer, sidelined younger sister, Nord-Pas-de-Calais factory closure, social/musical chips on shoulders... The screenplay strains to accommodate so many dramatic elements and loses momentum halfway through; rather as with Brassed Off, we edge towards a finale whose challenge is to erase the sadness and bitterness without seeming too pat. The director just about holds the dramedy together, and the musical theme helps provide a unifying thread.
