The Band's Visit (2008) Movie Information:

The Band's Visit (2008) Directed by: Eran Kolirin The Band's Visit (2008) Written by: Eran Kolirin The Band's Visit (2008) Cast: Ronit Elkabetz, Sasson Gabai, Uri Gavriel, Imad Jabarin, Ahuva Keren, Rubi Moskovitz, Khalifa Natour, Hilla Sarjon, Eyad Sheety

The Band's Visit (2008) U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics The Band's Visit (2008) U.K. Distributor: Sony Pictures

Our Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this movie

The Band's Visit (2008) Synopsis:

Once, not long ago, a small Egyptian Police band arrived in Israel. They came to play at an initiation ceremony but, due to bureacracy, bad luck, or for whatever reason, they were left stranded at the airport. They tried to manage on their own, only to find themselves in a desolate, almost forgotten small Israeli town, somewhere in the heart of the desert. A lost band in a lost town. Not many people remember this.

The Band's Visit (2008) Movie Review:

This wry, quiet comedy takes an enjoyably askance look at Israeli-Arab relations, using a small, gentle story to say something extremely profound.

When they arrive in Israel for a cultural exchange concert, a police band from Egypt finds themselves abandoned at the airport. Their leader, Tewfiq (Gabai), takes charge, delegating responsibilities to the band members, but they end up in the wrong town, in the middle of the desert. The local cafe owner Dina (Elkabetz), volunteers to help them, as do her regular customers (Moskovitz and Avraham). Over the long night, the band members and the townsfolk have several tiny adventures, a bit of romance and perhaps even a taste of diplomatic detente.

With static camera work, barren settings and a sardonic script, writer-director Kolirin creates a tone that's thoroughly disarming. The characters are all engaging rogues, edgy and surprising, and very funny. And their interaction bristles with real humanity, from small family conflicts to jealousies and power struggles. The visual tone and offbeat pacing have a minimalist quirkiness that feel almost Scandinavian.

This simple approach allows the actors to breathe life into their roles in subtle, witty ways. Gabai's fusty and fastidious Tewfiq is a tightly wound bundle of tradition and order, and yet he's not immune to the real world around him. His clashes with the free-spirited, loverboy band member Khaled (Bakri) are at the centre of the story, as are both men's interaction with Elkabetz. For his part, Bakri gets the film's most wonderful scene, a brilliantly executed single take in a roller-disco as Khaled tries to help Avraham's painfully shy character make a move on his equally timid date.

As it progresses, the comedy gets warm and ultimately emotional as the characters' personalities come to the surface and their personal histories start to emerge and mingle. They begin to find things in common--shared passions that help their differences pale into insignificance. This is a superb examination of how people who, on the surface, should have nothing to do with each other discover a way to not only live together but appreciate other for who they are. A gorgeous gem of a film.

Our Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this movie

The Band's Visit (2008) review written by: Rich Cline