‘Band Aid’ an insightful comedy about a strained marriage
“Band Aid” is her first film as a director — she also wrote and stars in it — and something about her and this film is really appealing.
“Band Aid” is the portrait of a marriage, and between the frames, it’s emblematic of a certain type of person in this particular cultural and economic moment.
To add to their troubles, they’re coping with the aftermath of a miscarriage, which seems to have devastated them, so that now they keep getting into arguments about stupid things.
[...] the audience is aware that they’re seeing something serious, that these are people in love whose marriage is circling the drain.
Lister-Jones is really good at capturing the dynamic of marital arguments, how they blow up without warning and can subside just as quickly, though the latter usually takes an act of will.
Though Ben and Anna share the spotlight, the film’s emotional locus is Anna, who, of the two, is the most troubled and dissatisfied and is the most in touch with her grief and disappointment.
“Band Aid” is a clear-eyed movie about a clear-eyed woman trying to break through her malaise through decisive action.
The movie remains realistic, not a fairy tale.