The Marching Band Review: A Sweet Melody

Emmanuel Courcol’s The Marching Band is a lovely movie that has some well-worn elements, but enough heart to make it stand out.

Thibaut Desormeaux (Benjamin Lavernhe) seems to have everything going for him. He comes from a loving, well-off family, and was raised to become a renowned composer and conductor. However, when he needs a bone marrow transplant, he discovers that his sister, Rose (Mathilde Courcol-Rozès), is not his biological sister because he was adopted. Instead, he learns that he has a brother, Jimmy (Pierre Lottin), a line cook in the cafeteria for the mines. 

The two brothers find they have a common language in music, with Jimmy spending his free time in the miners’ band, playing the trombone. But despite the bond that they share, there is an undercurrent of resentment that runs through their relationship, as Jimmy comes to terms with the understanding that he was denied the opportunity for the life that his brother had. Meanwhile, Thibaut has to reckon with his own feelings of privilege and the discovery that his mother lied to him for his whole life.

When The Marching Band focuses on Thibaut and Jimmy, it is absolutely fantastic. The friendship that they develop feels remarkably real, not unlike adult siblings learning who they are now that they no longer live in the same house. When Thibaut gets roped into conducting a rehearsal of the miners’ band, it is wonderful to watch how the two of them react in the same situation. Genuinely, every scene the two of them have together is delightful.

Where the film runs out of steam is in some of the side stories. There is a budding romance between Jimmy and his fellow band member, Sabrina (Sarah Suco), that feels a little bit superfluous. We get hints of an interesting story between Jimmy and Thibaut’s adoptive mother that is never fleshed out in a satisfying manner. And while we see the effects of a mining strike, it is also not expanded enough to matter to the narrative in a genuinely impactful way.

Still, there is much in The Marching Band that works. In addition to the sweet relationship between Thibaut and Jimmy, there is a scene between Thibaut and Jimmy’s caretaker, Claudine (Clémence Massart-Weit), that helps us understand their mother’s choice to separate the boys and give them up. It is a lovely, quiet moment that gives us a deeper insight into these characters. Also, there is a lot of humor in this movie, much of which can catch you off guard, making it even more entertaining.

There are some familiar beats in The Marching Band, but solid performances from Lavernhe and Lottin keep it from feeling stale. Even though the final scene feels a bit predictable, the sincerity of the story and authenticity of the performances allow the heart of the movie to shine through, and it does in a way that is deeply moving. I also appreciate that Jimmy’s story doesn’t go exactly the way one might expect, allowing the film to progress in a manner that is recognizable, but still fresh. 

There is something special about sharing music with others, especially with family. It connects us to one another, but also to ourselves in a way that is unique from other media. And as we see in The Marching Band, sometimes music connects us to strangers who can become family.

The Marching Band will be released in US theaters on August 28, 2026.