In 'Band Aid', a Couple Tries to Save Their Marriage by Starting a Band

Band Aid is a 2017 film that I’ve just seen recently after I was made aware of its existence.  It went under my radar last year because, as an indie film, it understandably didn’t have much hype, and it wasn’t one of the year’s overlooked-yet-need-to-check-out movies.  If I had gotten wind of it then, my interest would most likely have been piqued, and I would have sought it.

It’s about a couple named Anna (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Ben (Adam Pally) who are constantly fighting with each other.  Inspired by their therapist’s suggestion, they try an unconventional way of saving their marriage – converting their arguments into songs.  They retrieve their long-untouched instruments sitting in the garage, and recruit their eccentric neighbor Dave (Fred Armisen) to form a band.

I went into Band Aid with the expectation that it would be another winning, thoughtful movie with a “let’s make a band” narrative like Sing Street.  Well, the former isn’t really thematically similar to the latter, but it has the same emotional resonance.

I pretty much enjoyed this movie.  It was quite humorous, leading to plenty of moments where I either laughed or chuckled audibly.  However, at the core was a sweet, heartfelt drama that really hit me right in the feels.  Meanwhile, the songs weren’t memorable, but they nonetheless had an amiable presence in the movie.

In the end, Band Aid is not necessarily the kind of movie that would require my “Top 20 Movies of 2017” list to be revised by its inclusion.  But it’s nonetheless a 2017 film I’m glad I watched this 2018.