The Band's Visit

[Renz]

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When an Egyptian police brass band travels to Israel to play at the opening of an Arab arts center, the group ends up abandoned and lost in a remote desert town, igniting a charming cross-cultural comedy. Defying expectations, the tiny Israeli community embraces the musicians, and both the Egyptians and the locals learn a few things about one another -- and themselves. This witty foreign-language film nabbed the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes.

Not sure what the "Un Certain Regard prize" is, but this was a very funny and well-acted film. Great characters, also. Very enjoyable.

 

[Mulli]

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Not sure what the "Un Certain Regard prize" is, but this was a very funny and well-acted film. Great characters, also. Very enjoyable.

Pretty good show.

 

[Stout]

Yeah, this was an excellent film.

 

[AZZenny]

I thought it was just mildly amusing -- and I normally like the odd, dark/bittersweet humor in Israeli flicks. This one dragged a bit, though; felt like I was watching Waiting for Godot.

Surprisingly, I've heard it was a very popular underground movie in some Arab countries -- they rarely see Israelis portrayed as normal, eccentric people struggling with loneliness and failure and just trying to connect as human beings.

One subtext I suspect many foreigners missed was that this was supposed to be near the region of the Israeli desert where the Egyptian and Israeli forces decimated each other in '67 and '73. That's why they showed the Egyptian covering the photo of soldiers sitting on the tank with his hat. For Israeli or Egyptian moviegoers, there likely would have been a sense of tension and unease intially, about how this situation might play out.

 

[Bada0Bing]

Recently watched it. Neat little film. I think this was my favorite tag line:

"A slight but wise comedy about the loneliness that makes all men brothers."