¡Que Suene La Banda!

Javier (Coco’s Anthony Gonzalez) wants to play the trombone. Javier’s father, Eladio (Martin Morales), also wants him to play trombone. But they have different ideas of what that trombone should be: the sliding trombone of classical music which Javier is practising for an upcoming audition at UCLA, or the valve trombone of banda music which Eladio wants him to play at an upcoming party. Jorge Parra Jr.’s heartening ¡Que Suene La Banda! delivers everything you might expect from this familiar familial dynamic, doing so with such warmth and confidence that you are sure to leave the short film with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.

It is important to note that this is not a film in which a young adult must choose between their impassioned desires and their parent-mandated future, as in Dead Poets Society or even High School Musical. Javier’s struggle between his trombonic futures does not heavily feature overt external pressures; it is a crisis of self-identity. He is a boy becoming a man deeply in love with his family and culture, yet acutely conscious of their perceived social standing. To him, Eladio doesn’t have the right job and doesn’t play the right music, and Javier is determined to follow a different path. What makes the film so affecting is that nobody stands in Javier’s way but himself; he is at war with himself. As Eladio points out, there is little difference between the two instruments: “[They have] the same three valves. The same key.”

Gonzalez portrays Javier’s dilemma beautifully, allowing his insecurities to register while retaining that all-too-recognisable teenage ability to conceal them. He is supported by equally strong turns from Morales, Celina Fang (as Emily, Javier’s piano-playing duet partner and potential love interest), and, in particular, Marabina Jaimes as Javier’s mother Josefina, who exudes such powerful maternal warmth it feels like a hug through the screen.

The performances are further bolstered by strong behind-the-camera talent. Parra Jr. has a clear eye for emotive filmmaking as he patiently manoeuvres and situates the camera around his talented cast, basking them all in a sun-tinged and homely orange glow. His reverence for Michael Bryan Stein’s music is equally apparent: the score is not merely an accompaniment to the story; it is woven into the storytelling itself, becoming a character in its own right and culminating in a third-act set piece as moving as it is triumphant. The music is beautifully composed and affectionately presented, with the cast delivering impressive work, whether actually playing their respective instruments or convincingly appearing to do so. Parra Jr. clearly takes pleasure in showcasing their musical abilities, allowing the performances to become a celebration of music itself.

¡Que Suene La Banda! is exciting not just because of its narrative tension, but because of the abundance of talent on display. It is a charming, assured piece of filmmaking that understands how music can become a battleground for identity, before serving as the ultimate reconciliation. Parra Jr. emerges as a talent to watch, and his film leaves us with a lovely reminder that finding your own harmony need not mean turning your back on where you came from, but embracing it.