THE BAND'S VISIT

THE BAND'S VISIT - 2007

RATED - PG-13 for brief, strong language. A brief sexual encounter happens off camera. Pretty family friendly but probably a little slow for children.

RATINGS - 40 Amazon (4.5/5), 81,485 Netflix (3.5/5), 4,195 IMDB (7.7/10), Roger Ebert (4/4).

AWARDS - 40 nominations and 9 wins at various film festivals including BEST PICTURE from the Israeli Film Academy.

THEMES - Relationships.

STORY - An Egyptian police band from Alexandria travels to Israel to perform at the grand opening of an Arab Cultural Center in a small town. Somehow their connections get mixed up and they end up stranded in the middle of nowhere in Israel. The picture of the eight of them in their formal powder blue uniforms against the stark desert landscape says it all. They're lost. What happens next is not a summit meeting that will solve all the Israeli-Palestinian issues but it does show how, as human beings, we all share similar stories in this journey called life. The story centers on three main people, the very stern, rigid leader of the band, a young free-spirited ladies man in the band and a middle aged woman who runs a deli and agrees to put the band up for the night since there is no hotel and the last bus for the day has left. Both the woman and the band leader open up to each other in ways they would never have expected at the beginning of that day. This is a delightful little story that reminds us that some of the best moments in life can be the unplanned ones, the interruptions that are initially very frustrating but can be life changing or, at least, very influential. Like having a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and a stranger stops to help. Though this movie does not attempt to solve any of the world's big problems, it does remind one that, as humans, we forget that we have more in common than we realize. While world leaders may use angry rhetoric and accusations, the vast majority of the world wants to learn to get along even with those we may call 'enemies'. Enjoy this entertaining hour and half. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 06/14/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, ROGER EBERT