During the last decade, viewers of quality cinema have witnessed the emergence of interesting and powerful movies made by Israeli (and in few cases by Palestinian) directors telling simple and heart-warming stories. It is always surprising to see the lack of violence in those movies. In contrary the collaboration between israelis and palestinians can be seen as a message of hope and tolerance.
Lately i was impressed by "Lemon tree", a movie i discovered late last year and wrote about it in my blog. "The band's visit" made by a young Israeli director is another cinematic gem. A charming and gentle movie about the Egyptian Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arriving to a small Israeli town to give a performance in honor of the opening of an Arab Cultural Centre. Stranded and lost they will soon find out they are expected in another town and therefore have no other choice but to spend the night with few locals including the female owner of a cafe with two-man clientele.
Do not expect heart beating scenes. You might even sometime ask to yourself if there is an actual story. A movie without a developed story may be a risky enterprise however in rare occasions, it can defies this principle and provide a well entertaining and profound cinematic experience which "The band's visit" can be considered as a great example. Good actors are always another valid reason for a film success. We have hardly heard about Ronit El Kabetz who plays Dina, the blunt owner of a cafe that will welcome the band and will even spend a candid evening with Tawfic, their head singer. She is spontaneous and brings a hint of mystery to her character. The show stealer remains however the actor who plays Tawfic. His name is Sasson Gabai. He has an intensive film actor career and has even played in several Hollywood blockbusters. Tawfic is a man of strict principles. He can be severe to his musicians but is always an extremely polite gentleman with strangers. When he goes for an unexpected date with Dina, he is utterly shy. What counts nevertheless is the true Human Being he is with his weak points and poignant past.
In one survey it was estimated 98% of critics liked "The band's visit". It is no surprise the movie won various prestigious awards all over the World
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