An orchestra of police officers from Egypt arrives to play a ceremonial concert in Israel, and when they receive inadequate directions, end up in a small, industrialised town where they are forced to spend the night. Thats it, the whole premise of the beautifully small and touching movie "little in the best sense of the word, where the tiniest pause or stone-faced reaction is the root of the heartfelt comedy on display. On the Egyptian side, you have the world-weary conductor, the shy but talented composer and the young hot-shot who wonders why hes wasting his time in a powder blue uniform playing violin instead of doing police work. On the Israeli side, its a split between suspicion of these Arabic speakers in their midst and a little joy at having someone new to talk to. As the evening unfolds in cafes, at the homes of reluctant Israeli hosts and at a roller-skating dance tiny connections are made and broken, commonalities and differences are explored. It all sounds like so much Middle East medicine but the sensitive filmmaking, touching writing and most of all, beautiful performances make The Bands Visit a delight for any film fan. Its tender without being treacly, a challenging balance to pull off given the context. A largely unremarkable "making of is the discs lone extra but that hardly matters here.
(Mongrel Media)The Band's Visit
Elan Kolirin
BY James KeastPublished Jul 24, 2008