Bikur Hatizmoret, which translates to The Band's Visit, is an Israeli movie by Eran Kolirin, and it is definitely my favorite film so far of the entire Cannes Film Festival. (It is up for Un Certain Regard.) It is a 90 minute long comedy that follows an Egyptian police band as they arrive in Israel for a concert. When the car doesn't come to pick them up, they try to take a bus, but they go to the wrong place, where they have to stay the night. This movie is so funny; it is like an Israeli Little Miss Sunshine but with more heft and weight and authority in its filmmaking. The editing is flawless for pitch-perfect comedic timing. The cinematography is breathtaking; every shot is like wow. The acting was amazing as the awkwardness of a stranger in a strange land was palpable. The story had depth, emotional power, heart, and feelings. There were fleshed out characters, characters that were so well-defined that they weren't changed in that one night to give us the happy ending we wanted.
Even so, it seems like there were a few bizarre things added in for comedy and not much else, like the guy who was waiting by the phone for his girlfriend to call. This isn't a big complaint, but it's startling to see in contrast to the rest of the exceptional film. Also, a lot of people fell out of love with the movie after the actions of two of the characters at the end of the film, but it didn't bother me so much. But like I said, this movie is amazing, and I will be the first to see it with you if/when it gets released in the States if you want me to.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt1032856/