The Alexandria Ceremonial Police
Orchestra arrives in Israel to play at the opening of an
Arab Cultural Center. Dressed in full regalia and observing
all military police protocol, the members of the orchestra
are at a pivotal time in their careers. It’s not just the
political nature of an Arab military police band playing
traditional Arab music in Israel that makes this event so
important; budget cuts and many reorganizations have
threatened the continued existence of the Orchestra. Faced
with the heavy burden of this assignment, the stoic
conductor Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai) is determined not to foul
their excursion.
Despite all Tewfiqs efforts, it’s not long before problems
arise. The band arrives at the airport with no one there to
greet them. Stranded and unable able to contact their
Israeli hosts or the Egyptian consulate for help, Tewfiq
decides that the Orchestra will persevere with its
assignment and orders, and designates
Khaled, a sauve young ladies man (Saleh Bakri), to ask for
directions. Khaled and the station agent struggle in
English, Arabic and Hebrew to communicate, but despite their
best efforts, the Orchestra is sent to the outskirts of a
small forgotten Israeli town in the desert.
Faced with an unknown landscape, and disgruntled and hungry
men, Tewfiq brings the men to a small café in the nearby
town and humbly asks the proprietor, Dina (Ronit Elkabetz),
for lunch. Not wanting the turn the Orchestra away, Dina
invites the men to stay with her and a few of her friends.
To punish Khaled for his earlier subordination, Tewfiq
orders Khaled to stay with him at Dina’s, while the other
men break up and follow their hosts for the night.
Dina brings the two men to her modest apartment where they
begin to discuss not the political issues that divides their
two cultures, but it’s the intimate details of their
personal lives that bring the trio closer together. Before
long, Dina’s wry, playful self-confidence, and undisguised
sexuality make Tewfiq immediately uncomfortable. Regardless,
she is persistent in her attraction to the older, serious
Tewfiq, and after some prodding from Khaled, the melancholy
band leader reluctantly accepts Dina's invitation to dinner.
The proud Arab man in his powder blue military uniform and
the free-spirited Israeli woman make an odd couple at the
local restaurant, but her persistent compassion breaks
through his gentlemanly demeanor and the duo form
a bridge of understanding.
With the older Dina and Tewfiq gone from the apartment,
Khaled decides to tag along with people closer to his age
and convinces the shy and insecure Papi (Shlomi Avraham) to
let him join as the fourth wheel on a double date night at a
roller disco. When Papi fails to court the girl his cousin
set up as his blind date, Papi turns to the suave Khaled for
advice. With a little prodding and a lot of direction,
Khaled helps Papi break the ice with his date. Meanwhile,
the other band members, headed by second-in-command Simon (Khalifa
Natour), stay with Itzik (Rubi Moscovich), which ultimately
lead to tensions with his family and to revelations about
fulfillment that cross cultural boundaries.
When the band leaves in the morning for their intended
destination, it is clear that their unplanned detour was
worth the trip.
© Sony Pictures Classics. All
rights reserved
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