The Band's Visit

Joe Kenny's Thoughts:

One of the first things I learned about Eran Kolirin's film, The Bands Visit, was that it had won 7 awards at the 2007 Awards of Israeli Film Academy. After viewing the film my mind came to the conclusion that maybe the Israeli Film Academy doesn't have a wide selection of films to choose from. The Bands Visit is simple in every way; the plot, the dialogue, the acting, and the cinematography was basic and boring. The film is about an Israeli Police Orchestra. They lose their way when one of their members buys the wrong bus tickets while flirting with the clerk at the bus station. The Band arrives in a dead town, the leader of the band played by Sasson Gabai, begins to ask around and they learn that they are in the wrong place. The band is hungry so they dine at a restaurant in this town. The owner of the restaurant is a middle aged woman played by Ronit Elkabetz. Eventually the band learns that their embassy will not be able to get them a bus until the next day. The female restaurant owner invites a few band members to stay with her and the rest to stay with a friend of hers. Relationships begin to form and we learn more about the band members and the townspeople.

It is difficult to point out flaws in The Bands Visit, but it is also difficult to commend the film.

Drew Dahle's Thoughts:

This film's intention seems to be a slice of life comic drama that often does well with critics and the Indie Spirit Awards but misses the mark when it comes being a good film. This picture actually really reminded me of Steven Spielberg's 2004 film The Terminal. The Terminal was like being stranded in an airport for a couple hours which, as anyone who has been stranded in an airport knows, sucks. Except it was maybe a little bit worse because the audience is stranded in an airport with Tom Hanks. I felt similarly while watching A Band's Visit. Being lost and stranded is boring and watching people being lost and stranded finds the same result. I know I'm missing the point but the tender cross cultural connection between the band and the inhabitants didn't do it for me either. However, I did like the bands' uniforms as well as hearing Boney M's classic track "Sunny" played at the discotech in the film's funniest (read: best) scene.