After an enormous white van pulls away from a curb in the opening scene of the film, a line of eight men is revealed, dressed in vivid suits the color of robin’s eggs. The eight men make up the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra. Instead of serving as law enforcement officers, they perform at state events. The police band is scheduled to perform at the inauguration for an Arab cultural center in Petah Tikva. Unfortunately, the band is stranded at an Israeli airport, with no clue as to where they should go. Unable to communicate with the Egyptian Embassy, the band members are forced to find their own means of transportation.
Imparted with the task of finding the bus times for their destination, the youngest officer, Haled (Saleh Bakri), is more interested in charming the lady at the information desk with his version of “My Funny Valentine” than in following orders. Thanks to the ineffective navigation skills of this incessant flirt, the band ends up in the small town of Bet Hatikvah, which coincidentally sounds a lot like the town of their destination. Now officially lost, the band has no choice but to stay the night and wait for the next bus to arrive.
The band takes refuge in a nearby restaurant owned by a friendly and outspoken woman, Dina (Ronit Elkabetz), who invites the band to stay at the restaurant and the home of one of the locals. The Arabic-Hebrew language barrier is easily resolved, seeing as how everyone can also speak English, albeit somewhat haltingly. Led by Lieutenant-colonel Tawfiq Zacharya (Sasson Gabai), the band accepts Dina’s offer and soon breaks into three groups, with Haled and Tawfiq staying at Dina’s apartment.
Having seemingly taken a liking to Tawfiq, Dina invites the more reserved, older man out to see what the town of Bet Hatikvah has to offer, leaving Haled behind at the apartment. Although he’s initially reluctant to reveal too much personal information, Tawfiq gradually lets his guard down. The couple’s strikingly different personalities make for highly entertaining and surprisingly meaningful conversations, and allow for a glimpse behind Tawfiq’s hardened exterior. Played to perfection by Gabai (who’s actually an Israeli), Tawfiq is the most genuine of the bunch. Although the process of getting to know the band’s conductor is long and arduous, it is well worth the wait.
Rather than sitting home alone after the departure of Dina and Tawfiq, Haled meets up with one of the local youths and tags along to a skating rink. A self-styled expert on seducing women, Haled instructs the young man on how to win over his blind date, resulting in some of the most awkward and humorous scenes in the film. Despite Haled’s arrogance and flirtatious manner, he’s the most amusing character in the film.
During their stay in Bet Hatikvah, the three band members staying at the home of a local resident, Papi (Shlomi Avraham), are having their own memorable experiences. Tawfiq’s right-hand man, Simon (Khalifa Natour), is constantly teased by his fellow musicians for his ambition to be the band’s conductor. With his meek personality, Simon is the most understated of the films’ characters, making every word he utters all the more consequential.
Despite featuring leading characters from the two notoriously feuding countries of Egypt and Israel, “The Band’s Visit” isn’t attempting to preach understanding and acceptance. Instead, Kolirin avoids politics and simply shows people from two different countries finding common ground, through their shared knowledge of English. Ironically, the film was rejected as Israel’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards precisely because over half of the film is conducted in English.
Although it could’ve been a definite Oscar contender, “The Band’s Visit” doesn’t need reassurance that it’s an outstanding piece of work. Kolirin’s tendency to focus on a certain image for lengthy periods of time allows for maximum appreciation of the humorous situations. His directing style combined with a simple, yet evocative screenplay make for an original and charismatic film that everyone should see.