The Band's Visit

In my film practicum class World Cinema Showcase, we recently watched the Israeli film The Band's Visit, directed by Eran Kolirin and released in 2007. The film follows the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, a group of eight Egyptian police officers who have performed annually in Israel for the past twenty-five years. However, due to cultural and language barriers, the members of the band find themselves stranded in a tiny restaurant in Israel's Negev desert with no transport to their performance hall. The rest of the film shows the events of their overnight stay in the desert, from misadventures at the local roller rink to serious discussions about lost loved ones. Here's a link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q1vNwT4xK8.

The Band's Visit is nothing short of genius. The movie is primarily humor oriented, with subtle gestures of brilliant comedy that is often not present in American cinema. Even though there are endless moments of pure hilarity, The Band's Visit is able to sober up and recognize serious emotional issues: the stress of relationships, the unbridgeable disparity between parent and child that can end in tragedy, and the life-altering heartbreak that follows. The moments where souls are bared are raw and moving, surprising audiences with their gravity. However, even though these serious instances strongly contrast the film's comedic setting, they feel right at home. 

While this film is not overtly religious, there are themes or events that do hint at a religious quality. In the spirit of Flannery O'Connor, this film permits room for Christian themes, but is not catered specifically to a Christian audience. Throughout the movie, the theme of showing unconditional kindness to strangers makes itself strongly apparent, and makes few exceptions. The most major principles of Jesus' teachings were showing love and kindness to those in need and less fortunate, and this film excels in that realm of Christian belief without slapping you in the face with a Christian message.

Overall, I thought this movie to be brilliant, hilarious, touching, and one of the best movies that I've seen in a while.