Review of The Band's Visit (2007) by Elena C — 25 Apr 2008

A classic of the fish-out-of-water genre, watching it I found it quite innofensive and fun, with wonderful main characters. But then came the second thoughts, in the shape of metaphors. There is a particular scene, when one of the band members covers a framed photo of the Egypt-Israeli war, that I find quite telling. Not to mention that it is the Arabs (the least militant Arabs in the Universe!) who are the unexpected overnight guests at the (least militant ever) Israeli houses (?).

I don't want to be unfair and I suppose one can shoot kindhearted films that ignore one's country is in the midst of a very serious political and human right conflict. And it's a nice light comedy that does that job very well. But the whole "we're all nice people who can get along" philosophy reminds me of the ostrich strategy of closing your eyes to make problems go away. I think the film wouldn't have been so hurt by showing, even obliquely, how involved everyone is about Palestine. We learn to get along by discussing things, not by brushing them under the carpet.