The Band’s Visit will always be known as the little Israeli film that was unceremoniously booted from contention for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar due to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ draconian rules (specifically, because it contained over 50% English dialogue).

And it’s a shame, because this gem of a picture is both a clever parable on the state of Israeli/Egyptian relations, as well as a surprisingly affectionate, amusing tale.

“Once, not long ago, a small Egyptian police band arrived in Israel...”

A white van pulls up, stops, and drives away, leaving behind a line of eight men, with a row of instrument cases in front of them, donning pristine uniforms that look like a mélange of the Team Zissou treads – in brilliant powder blue and yellow – and the circa 1984 regalia of Michael Jackson. Meet the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra.

This conspicuous Egyptian outfit has arrived in Israel to play at the opening of an Arab Cultural Center. Led by stoic conductor Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai), the orchestra arrives at the airport. However, thanks to the language barrier, they are sent to the remote Israeli town of Betah Tikvah (as opposed to Petah Tikvah) in the desert.

The men soon become disgruntled, including the youngest band member, rebellious ladies man Khaled (Saleh Bakri). To boost morale, Tewfiq brings the band to a small café and asks the proprietor Dina (Ronit Elkabetz) for lunch. Dina, ever the gracious host, goes one step further, offering to put up the disoriented orchestra for the night.

Khaled joins Tewfiq in Dina’s humble abode, so that Tewfiq can keep an eye on him, while the second-in-command Simon (Khalifa Natour) and the others stay with Dina’s brother Itzik (Rubi Moscovich) and his family.

The uninhibited, seductive Dina finds herself strangely attracted to Tewfiq, and tries her best to break down Tewfiq’s emotional barriers. Thanks to her persistence, the dispirited bandleader reluctantly accepts Dina’s invitation to dinner. There in a local Israeli diner, the two polar opposites talk about life, love, and music, and form an unspoken bond in the process.

Written and directed by Israeli newcomer Eran Kolirin, The Band’s Visit continues the recent Israeli film renaissance, propelled by filmmakers Amos Gitai and Eytan Fox in the early 2000s. Recently, Israeli films have been a force on the film festival circuit, with Adama Meshuga'at winning the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Dramatic at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and winning the directorial prize at the 2007 Berlin Film Festival, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

From the suave Khaled helping a shy Israeli kid break the ice on his date to Tewfiq’s second-in-command Simon (Khalifa Natour) singing a lullaby to Itzik’s newborn babe, Kolirin imbues his film with surprising warmth and tenderness, deftly juxtaposing Tewfiq’s “old world” melancholic isolationism with the aforementioned heartfelt exchanges, epitomized by the free-spirited and outspoken host, Dina.

At its core, The Band’s Visit is a film about humanity, and a reminder of why we need peace in the first place: that despite our differences - whether it’s religion, political allegiances, what have you - deep down, we all speak the same language