Eran Kolirin's The Band's Visit demands nothing from its audience except simple patience. It is a film that takes it's time in trying to show us the incredibly intricate relationships these men and women form in such a short amount of time, and all due to chance or, perhaps, miracles. Band's Visit is perfect in its minimalist aesthetics and justifiably so. The film presents an interesting concept and full characters that shouldn't be overshadowed by film trickery. The story suffices enough to grab even the most formalistic viewer's attention.
Egypt's Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrive in Israel to play at an Arab cultural center, but end up stuck in an Israeli small town. After failed attempts to contact their embassy and with not enough money to rent hotel rooms for the eight piece, they are forced to ask a favour from a local restaurant owner, Dina. Dina invites the strict band leader, Lt. Col. Tawfiq, and his least favorite band member, Haled, to her apartment. The others get situated in Dina's restaurant and in the apartment of one of Dina's friends. The band members are shown in their new environments as the evening progresses, usually resulting in awkward moments involving communication (the band mates can only speak English with their hosts), under-the-surface racial tension, as well as moments of love, compassion and revelations.
The one thing that surprises me the most with this film is how it completely stays off the topic of racism. Kolirin is incredibly successful at creating a story where, what seems to be the obvious conflict of racism, becomes meaningless. However, this factor must be considered in retrospect because it truly makes the film all the more enjoyable because it is not until after the film that you realize you weren't bombarded with racial tension, but with forceful human emotion. The quasi-love story between Dina and Tawfiq is one of the best love stories I've seen put to film. A grand statement, yes, but no other film has put in so much thought and so much emotion in a relationship that only lasts for less than 12 hours.
Love, lust, betrayal and joy are all intermingled within this plot and each one is given it's allotted amount of screen time needed to insure the audience a chance to recognize each one to their full effect. It's probably the film's ending that will cause the most awe in a viewer. An amazing evening of romance and lessons has just passed with seemingly no impact on the character's, but, if you look closer and think, you can tell that this special and unusual evening left every band mate with some kind of personal revelation towards their music and towards their lives.
Though the Egyptian musicians are the main focus in Band's Visit, the film's other characters are equally as important and developed. Band's Visit explores the rough and adventurous lives of teenagers in a scene at a roller disco where an Israeli adolescent must step up and defeat his shyness in order to pursue a relationship with a woman. This scene is incredibly touching, with a tinge of Napoleon Dynamite-esque humour to it and leaves one with a wonderful "gee, shucks" feeling. Another scene where an Israeli becomes the center of attention is during a scene where an Israeli father explains to a band member the serenity he finds when he's in his son's nursery. The Israeli explains to the band member that it's this, this quietness and peace, that inspires him and should inspire the band member to finish his music arrangement. This scene comes after a very rough dinner with the Israeli's family and the visiting band members. As a result, the Israeli father confides in the band's second in charge, Simon, and describes to him how the nursery has become a sort of sanctuary where he hides with his sleeping son, in harmony and with a sort of reassurance that life will always have its ups, even when its downs seem more prevalent.
There really isn't much that can be said about Band's Visit except that it's a film built on raw human emotion and everyday miracles. Band's Visit is direct and delivers a grand emotional punch that can't really be explained through criticism. It's a slow-burner that leaves you with a great smile and a lump in the throat that you'll dwell upon several minutes after its gut-wrenching and, for lack of a better term, confusing yet beautiful ending. Band's Visit is completely original and incredibly successful in achieving its goal of introducing a possibly explosive situation and dismantling it into a fantasticly simple human tale.
moving on...
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