Review: The Band's Visit (2007)

THE BAND'S VISIT
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2008 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2

THE BAND'S VISIT (BIKUR HA-TIZMORET), by writer and director Eran Kolirin,
is the type of movie that has film festival film written over it, even if it
is getting a United States theatrical release. A sweet little trifle, it is
worth savoring even if not much of consequence happens.
A classic "we can all get along" type of story, it has a taciturn little
police band venturing from Egypt to Israel to play at an Arab Cultural
Center. Most of the band members speak Arabic and English, but their
command of English isn't quite what it needs to be, so they end up traveling
to the wrong town.

When the bus deposits Tawfiq Zacharya (Sasson Gabai) and his seven fellow
band members in a small village in the middle of the Israeli desert, they
immediately suspect that something is wrong. Dina (Ronit Elkabetz), the
local restaurant owner, offers to find places for them to stay the night,
since there are no hotels and no more buses.

Dressed in their powder blue uniforms and with hats which seem to be
permanently glued to their heads, the band appears a comical lot. But,
since they are all so serious and reserved, these fish out of water are more
poignant than humorous, as they are stuck in a strange land.

Happening over about a day and a half, the story's pleasures come in
observing the small friendships that are formed between these two very
different cultures. A widower with a really sad back story, Tawfiq bonds
with Dina and develops affection for her. Since they are both unmarried and
lonely, one might assume that this tiny romance would blossom, at least
enough for a one night fling, but it doesn't.

THE BAND'S VISIT is an inconsequential little movie that is worth seeing
solely because of its touching and genuine characters. It's just too bad
that the screenwriter couldn't think of more to do with the characters.
It's also surprising, given the film's title, that it contains very little
music, either played by the band or in the score.

THE BAND'S VISIT runs 1:27. The film is in Hebrew and Arabic with English
subtitles and in English. It is rated PG-13 for "brief strong language" and
would be acceptable for all ages.

The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, February 15, 2008.
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.

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