Details
Movie Description
Israeli filmmaker Eran Kolirin's debut feature, THE BAND'S VISIT, is a subtle, heartfelt, and humane work that goes a long way toward dissolving the incredibly complex cultural divide that continues to plague the Middle East. When the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra flies from Egypt to Israel to perform at the opening of an Arab culture center, they are left stranded at the airport. Their leader, Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai), orders the handsome violinist, Khaled (Saleh Bakri), to solve their predicament, but it turns out that he's gotten the wrong information. By that time, it's too late. All eight members are left standing alone in a quiet desert town far from their intended destination with no way to get where they need to go. Tired, hungry, and confused, they find shelter at a restaurant run by the pretty but brash Dina (Ronit Elkabetz). It's clear that Dina is bored with her lonely life, so she talks Tewfiq into letting the band stay over for the night: he and Khaled will stay with her, and the others will be put up at the home of Itzik (Rubi Moscovich). Over the course of the night, Tewfiq and Dina bond, Khaled helps a hapless local discover his inner Romeo, and the other band members find themselves caught up in a domestic situation that is less than perfect. Kolirin perfectly navigates his film's slice-of-life tone, blending comedy and drama and poignancy without ever succumbing to one completely. In the wrong hands, this material could turn into a quirk-fest that parodies everyday life. Yet under Kolirin's assured command, it becomes something that feels like life itself. THE BAND'S VISIT is funny, lonely, inspiring, sad, and beautiful all at once.
Industry Reviews
3 stars out of 5 -- "Eran Kolirin fashions a melancholy comedy in which the sound of music transcends national boundaries."
Total Film - Tom Dawson (11/01/2007)
"[T]he comedy eases you into the story and obscures the currents of seriousness swirling under the film's surface....Mr. Kolirin, it emerges, is wrenching comedy out of intense melancholia."
New York Times - Manohla Dargis (12/07/2007)
"Kolirin's film emerges as an entertainingly subversive call for parties on all sides of the divide to fact the music and dance."
Sight and Sound - Ali Jaafar (01/01/2008)
"[The film] can now be seen and appreciated for what it has in abundance: visual wit, verbal charm and a completely droll sense of humor."
Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan (12/07/2007)
"[S]omething marvelous happens as the filmmaker, in his first feature, expertly metes out small scenes of communication....BAND swings with the rhythms of hope." -- Grade: A-
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (02/15/2008)
"[A] sweet, touching story....It's perfectly pitched and always likeable and charming..."
Box Office - Shlomo Schwartzberg (03/01/2008)
4 stars out of 5 -- "THE BAND'S VISIT has some profound lessons to impart, but they arise gently, made beautiful by Shai Goldman's cinematography and Kolirin's subtle direction."
Empire - Empire Staff (10/01/2008)
"A long night's journey marked with comedy, human nature, and bittersweet reality. Richly entertaining..."
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert (12/05/2008)
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