The Band's Visit

Again with the shapes. Watch the opening scene of this film and you will know what I mean.

Lindsay and I went to the video store and searched high and low for a movie that was the perfect mix of comedy and drama, something good that would not be depressing. When we finally asked the guy working there for some advice, that was how I worded what we wanted, "Good, but not depressing." He started naming titles, most of which I had seen. He even mentioned The Visitor, to which I responded, "Um. That one is actually kind of depressing."

Eventually we ended up with this one. The Band's Visit (also known as Bikur Ha-Tizmoret) is a charming movie about the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, who arrive in Israel and promptly find themselves lost. The film charts the night they spend in a small Israeli town, spread out among a few locals who have taken them in. Visually, the film is stunning. It is completely pared down, and beautifully showcases the incongruity these Egyptian musicians carry with them through the landscape.

4/5 stars.