The Band's Visit

"The Band's Visit" is a simple, unpretentious movie and devoid of overt drama. Its far from the run of the mill stories. It is a story of people. Each scene oozes with meaning and significance. The characters are quite believable in their portrayal of everyday folks. A message/theme that is echoed through the movie, is that of love and music being a universal language.l

It is a story of an Egyptian police band that travels to Israel to perform in a local Arabic Cultural Center in the town of Beit Hatikva. To their dismay they find out that they landed in the wrong town. They were supposed to go to Peit Hatikva and not Beit Hatikva. They stranded and hungry. The story is then onwards is their experiences till next day morning when they catch the bus to the right place.

The band is lead by old Lt Col Tawfiq. He is their no-nonsense, mr-iam-not-flexible-and-rulez-matter leader. The youngest of the band is Haled. Being a young guy he tries to pick up ladies with his singing. He is also the guy Tawfiq tries to bring in line for his non-conformist ways.

Dina, is a restaurant owner who informs the Band that they are in the wrong town. She offers them food and later lodgings after Tawfiq requests for help. Haled and Tawfiq stay at Dina's place and some of the band at restaurant and some at out of work local who frequents Dina's place.

The night becomes a night of change, a night of people opening up, a night of confirmation that people from the across the Arab and Israeli are just normal folks who enjoy the same pleasures in life. The conversation of Dina and Tawfiq at the local eatery, the walk to the park, the outing of Haled with locals and his encouragement of young man in the ways to talk to a woman, the quite family dinner at the local's place, to Tawfiq's confession, his warming up to Haled and their departure from Dina and their performance at Peit Hatikva are scenes were emotions flow, sublte facial expressions and body movements convey the meaning.

It is one of the decent movies I have seen in recent times. I should get the DVD sometime.