The Band’s Visit interview

Posted by Robert Levin • 13 Feb 2008

With The Band’s Visit, writer-director Eran Kolirin has produced a powerful corrective to the divisiveness that permeates most media representations of Israel’s conflict with its Arab state neighbors. The film follows an Egyptian police band, lost in an out of the way town in the Negev, and the transcendently human connections that develop between the band members and the town’s citizens over the course of one fateful night. Disqualified from being Israel’s official nominee for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award by virtue of having slightly too much English dialogue, The Band’s Visit nonetheless began its New York engagement on Feb. 8 with far more fanfare than that accompanied the recent release of the eventual Israeli submission Beaufort. Cinemattraction sat down with Kolirin at the recent press day roundtable.

Q: It’s very interesting how you have a very quiet, deliberate tone to this film. Was that a very careful exercise, or part of the process of what you wanted to achieve to keep the mood quiet and indirect?

A: The most important thing for me is the tone and the feeling and the pace of things, to have the accurate tone and pace of everything, so you know this is definitely what I wanted to achieve. On the other hand, while you’re doing it it’s not very clear for you what you’re doing, you just try and say let’s do it a little slower until it works but it’s much more an instinctive thing than a very analytical process.

Q: In relation to that, you say in the beginning in a type of little prologue that this is not a matter of any great importance, which on the face of it would almost seem to undercut what’s about to come. Could you comment on that?

A: It’s part of what I was thinking with this movie in the first place, that it has this very big context and very big political premise or whatever but on the other hand it focuses on the completely uneventful things that happen. Of course those things are very important for me and this is why I have spent so much time of my life doing this movie, so of course it has a kind of sarcasm this it wasn’t very important to it because the unimportant is important and vice versa.

Q: Was there a band that really exists?

A: No, nothing is real in the movie except for the names of the actors.

Q: I guess you’re not going to run off to Alexandria and check.

A: No, I don’t care.

Q: Why’s the film banned in Egypt?

A: The film is not banned in Egypt specifically; there is a boycott from Egypt on any kind of cultural exchange and it doesn’t necessarily (apply to) this film specifically. Any other film would be banned as well.

Q: You mean any other Israeli film?

A: Yeah, exactly.

Q: Have you had feedback from any Egyptian expatriates that have seen the film?

A: Yeah, at loads of film festivals there is always one spectator from Egypt coming to me after the show saying, “I liked it. It moved me. It reminded me of so many things.” I get lots of reaction from the Arab world. I guess there are people who won’t like it like anywhere else, but I don’t think that it has any problems with spectators in the Arab world. The percentage of people who like it in the Arab world should be the same as anywhere else. It’s just that from the political establishment point of view, it’s completely another thing.

Q: Has it been shown in the occupied territories?

A: No. We wanted to have one showing in Ramallah, which Mohammad Bakri, the father of Saleh, is also a very famous Israeli actor. He tried to have a projection in Ramallah but it turned out to be a very delicate time now because of the tension between Hamas and Fatah. None of the sides wanted to host. Hamas of course wouldn’t host, but Fatah didn’t want to host a screening anyway.

Q: Could you talk about casting the band leader Tawfiq?

A: There are no big sexy details to the story of casting this movie I met Sasson Gabai and he really liked the script and I just had a good feeling talking to him. (I felt) he had this aura about himself like an Egyptian star. He’s not Egyptian but I had this feeling when I met him that he could add to this role this extra charm of old stardom.

Q: Did he have any hesitancy in playing an Egyptian, as an Israeli?

A: No I think for him it was coming home, a nostalgic thing for him. You know he was born in Iraq and he speaks Arabic, so for him the themes of the movie and the Arabic music all resonate from his own background. For him, I think it was a very personal role to play.

Q: For Saleh Bakri this must have been a big deal, because there’s that whole Palestinian theater group and now he’s in this Israeli film. That must have been a big transition for him.

A: Everything you’re doing in Israel with Palestinians and Israel, there’s always this fear of mine that there will be someone with a radical view who would criticize at the end of any road. But on the other hand you know Saleh is also known as a Palestinian actor in Israel, he had roles in The Habimah, the national theater. You can’t box him into this position as a Palestinian who was just acting there and then got to the big (time), it’s completely not this way. He has a very strong personality and he wanted to do the role; and he did it and that’s that.

Q: How did you arrive at the dynamic between the band leader and Dina (Ronit Elkabetz)?

A: Sometimes, if you hit a good cast and you put a camera (on them) and something happens …

Q: Was it improvised?

A: No, nothing is improvised; I’m a complete control freak. I don’t let anything be improvised, but we worked a lot on the pace and how to do it and where to have the silences and the choreography, or work on the gestures on the movements. We worked a lot on this but there’s also something natural coming from those two actors that somehow (is like) he’s water, she’s fire.

Q: Did you have a lot of takes and/or rehearsal?

A: I had a lot of rehearsal and I did a lot of takes also.

Q: Shot on digital?

A: No, on film and we almost finished all our film stock and we had no money. There was a tough period and I almost finished all the raw material, but it was okay in the end.

Q: How do you account for the very spare look of the film?

A: I get a headache when it’s too filled up with people and I don’t understand what’s going on if there are too many extras walking around. It was very comfortable. I wanted to see just the actors and I wanted to keep it very simple and that was how I could concentrate

Q: When did you hit on the idea of Israeli towns very often being hard to distinguish from each other?

A: I was reading a book by Ali Salem, he’s a very famous Egyptian playwright and was the only one to ever come to Israel. He wrote a journey book about his visit to Israel, which is called Journey to Israel, and in the first chapter he describes how he came by his car, and just from being stressed and his first time driving inside Israel instead of going to Tel Aviv, he went to Netanya which is not such a small city but it’s a little bit up north and it’s not the same place. He had to stay overnight in Netanya and he also just described in there, because of this mistake, he described a conversation he had with the girl at the information desk at the hotel and someone speaks with him about his car and some not important things that happened to him because of his mistake. This was something that also inspired the movie.

Q: Can you talk about the process of coming up with the stark and contrasting color scheme?

A: On the one hand I thought it should have a tone of a legend, a little bit like if I was to tell the story I would say “There was a man and there was a woman and there was a road … “ I wouldn’t say “There was a man who was born here and here and his parents were doing this and that.” No, it’s like the way that you would tell it as a story is the way that you show it: There’s a man, there’s a woman, there’s a room. So it came from there. It’s also about contradictions, this movie, all the time; like when they would sit in the shish kebab restaurant but speak about art and poetry, or in the roller-skating rink, but he (Bakri’s character) would recite Sufi poems. So there’s a kind of contradiction all the time I wanted to maintain, like to have those really shiny outfits, but inside a very simple child’s room, because there was something about this movie with this collision between those two elements that can bring magic to a scenery which has nothing but just a small disturbance. This very nice uniform disturbs a very simple room but there’s something to it that makes it another thing.

Q: What do you mean by “a small disturbance?”

A: There’s always a disturbance in the movie. It’s like to have Tawfiq, this big commander, very strict, sit in the shish kebab restaurant and it’s out of his world, you know, it’s a disturbance in the picture. It’s a small disturbance and it happens all the time in the movie. It’s like even when they (pose for) a shot in the end and the guy comes in with the cleaning at the airport. Maybe the shot is very formal and then there is a little stupid thing coming in or the scenery is completely stupid, but something very formal comes in. So there’s always this contradiction.

Q: Was your sense of these things being funny, ironic, actually causing people to laugh? Did you sense that there was a laugh there?

A: No, I was completely serious about everything, I was really surprised anyone was laughing this hard. I mean I thought it was more of a smile movie but maybe when a lot of people in the audience smile together it sounds like a joke. For me there is a grain of melancholy in everything. The things (are there) that made me smile and laugh, but I was more looking for the accurate tone of things and the accuracy of the situation and the accuracy of the tension and the awkwardness. I wasn’t really thinking I was just going to make people laugh, and one of the reactions I always got about the rough cut of the film from when we screened and showed it was “We thought this was going to be a funny movie and it’s not very funny, this movie.” This was always the reaction and until we came to Cannes and the projection starts and they laugh and after a few minutes laugh again and then everyone’s laughing. We looked at each other and we had no idea that this movie was that funny; we thought you know it’s nice and sometimes you’re sad, sometimes you smile, but never laugh out loud moments.

Q: How did it feel to get a standing ovation at Cannes?

A: I wasn’t really there. It’s like your wedding day. You hear the sea in your ears. Everybody tells you, “you know, this is amazing,” but you don’t really understand it when you’re there.

Q: Can you talk about your choice of music?

A: It was different in different scenes in the movie. First of all there were some places that I had to take the music out of any regional context for me because if I put in Egyptian music or Israeli music then it would have contexts you wouldn’t dream of and it would disturb a certain thing with the scene. So in some places I had to choose music that had no meaning at all for me. It was just music. With the roller-skating, there’s an Israeli author I like very much who said, “Everything a man writes is like a picture of his childhood in some ways.” You know I had in my own youth experiences of the character of a roller-skating rink and this is the music I remember, so it came naturally to me that this is the kind of music that moves me or has some meaning for me, much more than modern music today.

Q: How did you find the character of Dina?

A: She was the most incomplete character for me in the script, because in the script I was very much afraid that she’s a cliché. She could be this femme fatale from the desert that gets a man here and she wasn’t complete as a character until Ronit came and did her. The first time I met Ronit in the rehearsal room, she came and was sitting on the table and she was swinging her legs like a kid. She was listening to what I was saying and then I got that this character most of all is just a teenage girl who, life passes and she has this dance inside her, she’s happy in life – okay, sometimes good sometimes bad – but at the end of the day there’s this teenage girl that lives inside her and this is what made this character complete. She was not this heavy romantic woman, just a teenage girl looking for something to happen.

Q: How did this end up being your first movie and what are you planning next?

A: It wasn’t a choice. I had the script and I did a TV movie before this one and then I could make The Band’s Visit, which I had the script for and that’s the way it happened. As a result, God is great and we’ll see what’s going to happen. I wish I had one more script but writing, it’s a nightmare, it takes time. You know I wish I could say “Yes, I have a script I’m doing it tomorrow,” but it will take time. After being in Israel a little bit drinking coffee doing nothing and then something will happen and maybe I’ll start writing.

Q: Do you see yourself mostly working in Israel, or coming here?

A: I’m attracted very much to the stories in Israel. I understand the people, I would sit on the bus and (see a) character and I would feel him. I don’t really have this instinct here about people, but you know again if I get a script that touches me, maybe.

© 2008 Robert Levin. All rights reserved.

from wikipedia

The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, consisting of eight men, arrive in Israel from Egypt. They have been booked by an Arab cultural center in Petah Tiqva, but through a miscommunication, the band takes a bus to Bet Hatikva, a fictional town in the middle of the Negev Desert.[5] There is no transportation out of the city that day, and there are no hotels for them to spend the night in. The band members dine at a small restaurant where the owner, Dina (Ronit Elkabetz) invites them to stay the night at her apartment, at her friends’ apartment, and in the restaurant. That night challenges all of the characters.[6]

Language disqualification

Under the rules of the American Academy, more than half the dialogue in a foreign film entry must be in the originating country’s own language. However, “Band’s Visit,” whose Egyptian and Israeli characters communicate mainly in broken English, didn’t meet the requirement and was disqualified by the Oscar committee. Even so, Sony Pictures, the film’s distributor, entered it in the general Oscar categories of best picture, director, screenplay, actor and actress — none of which came through for the film.

“Nobody in Israel thought about the language problem,” said Kolirin, who spent four years making the film. When he heard about the adverse American decision, “I was pissed off for a few days, but I’ve gotten over it,” he said during a visit to Los Angeles.[17]

he Band’s Visit was well received by critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 98% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 108 reviews, and gave it a golden tomato for best foreign film of 2008.[11]

Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter named the film the second best of 2007, [12] V.A. Musetto of the New York Post named it the 8th best film of 2007, [12] and both Ella Taylor of LA Weekly [12] and Associated Press film critic David Germain named it the 9th best film of 2007. [13] Roger Ebert included it on his list of 20 best films of the 2008.

According to Roger Ebert “The Band’s Visit” has not provided any of the narrative payoffs we might have expected, but has provided something more valuable: An interlude involving two “enemies,” Arabs and Israelis, that shows them both as only ordinary people with ordinary hopes, lives and disappointments. It has also shown us two souls with rare beauty.[14]

The skating rink scene is considered a highlight of the film: [15] “The band’s handsome young trumpet player, Haled, who idolizes jazz icon Chet Baker, encounters the resident Papi (Shlomi Avraham), an Israeli nebbish and accompanies him on a blind date at a roller-skating rink. When the local boy proves too awkward to make any advances to his date, the more experienced Egyptian guides him along, wordlessly, but with eloquent gestures.”[16]

Can movies change the world?

source:Amazon.com

Can movies change the world? In a word, no. But Israeli writer and director Eran Kolirin’s utterly charming and engaging The Band’s Visit suggests that if we could somehow put aside the politics and the religion, stifle the governments and the rhetoric, and mix in a little Gershwin, maybe even people with a history of cross-cultural suspicion and hostility really can get along. Not that the film has such pretensions–far from it. This is a simple tale involving a group of Egyptian musicians, the Alexandria Police Ceremonial Orchestra, who arrive in Israel for a concert. Things don’t go well; there’s no one to meet them at the airport, and they mistakenly end up in a small, drab desert town called Bet Hatikva, a place whose own residents refer to it as “bloody nowhere.” But the people, especially café owner Dina (a marvelous performance by Ronit Elkabetz), are friendly and welcoming, and when they urge the band members to stay overnight before heading to their proper destination the next day, strait-laced leader Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai) finally relents. What follows is a series of plain but lovely scenes, as the Egyptians and Israelis (speaking English, their common language) tentatively search for common ground. Khaled (Saleh Bakri), the ladies man of the group (“Do you like Chet Baker?” is his favorite pick-up line), accompanies two young couples to a roller rink, where he comically helps the painfully timid Papi (Shlomi Avraham) connect with his date; meanwhile, the dignified but taciturn Tewfiq gradually warms to Dina’s manifest charms, and the other musicians share a rousing chorus of “Summertime” with their Israeli hosts. The Band’s Visit is filled with moments of humor, tenderness, tension, sadness, regret, and, as one character puts it, “tons of loneliness,” every one of them delivered without the slightest bit of pretension or manipulation (not to mention political or religious overtones). And when, at the end, we finally hear the Orchestra perform, we only wish we could spend more time with all of these delightful characters. –Sam Graham

‘It’s the wrong time and the wrong place…’ – there are so many excerpts of songs quoted in this movie and ones that stimulate memories of old songs that are very much in keeping with the title and the story, THE BAND’S VISIT (BIKUR HA-TIZMORET). A timely piece, this little film is about humanity and the possibility of communication by various means that overcome differences between cultures far better than treaties, summit meetings, and physical and verbal demonstrations. It is a thoughtful, engaging, and completely delightful success.

The Alexandria Police Ceremonial Orchestra with ‘General’ Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai) rigidly in charge provides music for occasions, and the particular occasion for this venture is a ceremony in Israel. Flying in from Egypt well dressed in light blue uniforms to perform for the new Arab Culture Center, the small band is not met as expected at the airport. Tewfiq attempts to resolve the lack of proper greeting and transportation by reserving space on a bus – a trip that mistakenly (through problems originating in language confusion) results in the band being dropped off in a small village Bet Hatikva. Frustrated with circumstances, the band is met with genial hospitality by café owner Dina (Ronit Elkabetz) who not only feeds them but puts the small band up for the evening. Dina has eyes for Tewfig and plans an evening out on the town with him – an evening that has its own surprises as each lonely person shares life circumstances. The other members of the band are placed in lodging with Dina’s workers and at a dinner party discover similarities in their lives. Khaled (Saleh Bakri), a somewhat antagonistic ladies’ man, spends an evening with a terrified young man Papi (Shlomi Avraham) on his first real date, and in the course of the evening introduces the fine art of courtship to Papi in a hilarious but touching scene.

The use of English as the common language between these Arab and Hebrew speaking people adds elements of humor as well as moments of sweetness as both the band members and the Israelis grow to know and care about each other. The conversations among each separate group are delivered in Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles and this degree of modified privacy becomes almost more humorous because of the bumpy language barriers shared with the audience. Everyone grows through this short visit and by the time the band departs for their correct destination by the next morning’s bus, bonds have been made that preserve the dignity of nationality while overriding the limitations of differences peculiar to each country. This is a quiet, gentle, at times very humorous little movie that offers insights of how to attain global community for us all. Writer/director Eran Kolirin deserves special recognition for assembling and molding this excellent cast for this remarkable, genuinely compassionate statement about important issues. Grady Harp, August 08

“The Band’s Visit” is 87 minutes of perfection from writer/director Eran Kolirin. There’s little dialogue, accounting in part to language barriers, but more due to the dearth of things to talk about in the forgotten outpost of Beit Hatikva. Moreover, its residents seem talked-out and beaten down. Beautiful but weary Dina (the wonderful Ronit Elkabetz) nails the essence of the town’s residents when she says that their misdirected Arab guests – looking for the Arab Culture Center – will find “No Arab culture, no Israeli culture, no culture at all.”

I’m struck by how Kolirin makes those few words matter so much. Over a dozen scenes are stuck permanently in my head a full month or more after our viewing. Two scenes in particular stand out:

– An indescribably well-played wordless piece where jazz hipster Haled (Saleh Bakri) leads an inept Papi (Shlomi Avraham) through his first encounter with a girl. Brilliant direction here by Kolirin.

– A brilliant scene in which band director Tawfiq (regally portrayed by Sasson Gabai) reluctantly reveals the reason behind his romantic reticence. The core of the scene – when Tawfiq says “You are a good women Dina, I am sure of it” – elicts a reaction from Ms. Elkabetz bemoaning a life spent worrying about silly things that don’t matter now. It’s stirring cinema.

A Movie You Must See! “The Band’s Visit” | Israel On Blog

21 Nov 2007 … “The Band’s Visit“. Once, not long ago, a small Egyptian Police band … they found no room for the strange, curling script that is the …
www.israel-on-blog.com/a-movie-you-must-see-the-bands–visit/ –

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A film by Eran Kolirin

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

3
Not many remember this,
it was not that important.

4
It’s not them…

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00:02:42,480 –> 00:02:45,836
There’s a bus, we have the address,
I can’t see the problem.

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00:02:45,920 –> 00:02:48,275
And manage on our own?
– Yes.

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00:02:48,600 –> 00:02:52,388
Why not call the Embassy?
Let them take care of it.

8
00:02:52,880 –> 00:02:56,429
This band has managed on its own
for 25 years now,

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00:02:56,520 –> 00:02:59,159
I have no intention
of changing that.

10
00:02:59,960 –> 00:03:03,748
Especially not now…
under the present circumstances.

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00:03:10,920 –> 00:03:13,070
Picture please,
may I take a picture?

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00:03:13,240 –> 00:03:14,798
We’re taking a photo.

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00:03:44,000 –> 00:03:48,471
THE BAND’S VISIT

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00:03:57,400 –> 00:03:58,389
Municipality, good morning.

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00:03:58,480 –> 00:03:59,469
Good morning.

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00:03:59,560 –> 00:04:03,030
This is Tewfiq Zakaria, commander of
the Alexandria Ceremonial Orchestra.

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00:04:03,120 –> 00:04:04,189
What?

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00:04:05,040 –> 00:04:08,157
Lt is Tewfiq Zakaria, from the
Alexandria Ceremonial…

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00:04:08,240 –> 00:04:09,355
Who do you need?

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00:04:10,880 –> 00:04:12,950
As I said,

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00:04:13,600 –> 00:04:15,113
it is Tewfiq Zakaria

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00:04:15,200 –> 00:04:18,272
from the Alexandria Ceremonial
Orchestra, we have…

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00:04:38,840 –> 00:04:39,875
Municipality, good morning.

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00:04:40,000 –> 00:04:42,753
This is Colonel Tewfiq Zakaria
from the…

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00:05:06,080 –> 00:05:07,513
Do you see it?

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00:05:17,200 –> 00:05:20,158
Get Khaled, tell him
to ask at the information desk.

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00:05:37,880 –> 00:05:40,519
Do you mind asking
which bus goes to Bet…

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00:05:41,400 –> 00:05:42,958
Bet Hatikva.

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00:05:43,080 –> 00:05:47,232
You’d better send someone else.
My English isn’t that good.

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00:05:47,840 –> 00:05:49,990
Do you want to be part
of the police force?

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00:05:50,080 –> 00:05:55,313
Then learn to take responsibility.
Go and find out how we get there.

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00:05:56,600 –> 00:05:58,158
Just watch out, Okay?

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00:06:00,960 –> 00:06:01,995
Of what?

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00:06:02,080 –> 00:06:04,548
I don’t know,
just keep your eyes open.

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00:06:29,840 –> 00:06:31,319
Bet Hatikva?

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00:06:32,680 –> 00:06:35,831
Yes, Bet Hatikva.

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00:06:42,680 –> 00:06:44,636
You have eyes…

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00:06:45,120 –> 00:06:47,793
Very beautiful eyes.

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00:06:48,920 –> 00:06:50,990
Do you like Chet Baker?

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00:06:51,080 –> 00:06:52,069
What?

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00:06:52,160 –> 00:06:53,639
Chet Baker.

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00:07:14,600 –> 00:07:17,239
I play violin…
in an orchestra.

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00:07:18,200 –> 00:07:20,668
But I play trumpet…

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00:07:21,280 –> 00:07:22,679
also.

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00:07:46,600 –> 00:07:49,353
About the new piece
that we will play tomorrow,

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00:07:50,320 –> 00:07:52,390
do you want me to conduct?

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00:07:52,600 –> 00:07:55,990
Lf you do, I’ll need to work
on the orchestration.

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00:07:58,240 –> 00:08:00,708
We’re in enough trouble as it is,
Simon.

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00:08:01,560 –> 00:08:03,596
Some other time.

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00:08:06,920 –> 00:08:08,478
Of course.

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00:08:08,960 –> 00:08:10,313
But…

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00:08:10,400 –> 00:08:14,518
If their plan at headquarters
is approved,

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00:08:14,640 –> 00:08:17,757
there might not be another time.

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00:08:18,080 –> 00:08:21,550
Their plan
will not be approved.

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00:08:21,680 –> 00:08:23,352
That’s why we’re here,

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00:08:23,640 –> 00:08:25,392
isn’t that so?

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00:08:30,960 –> 00:08:33,520
We had three concerts
in April,

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00:08:33,640 –> 00:08:35,870
two in June.

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00:08:36,520 –> 00:08:39,637
No one should speak to us
about efficiency and won’th.

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00:08:40,240 –> 00:08:46,952
The Alexandria Police Ceremonial
Orchestra manages just fine, period.

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00:10:26,120 –> 00:10:27,951
Line them up.

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00:10:42,760 –> 00:10:44,239
Good afternoon.

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00:10:45,360 –> 00:10:46,588
Dina, come here.

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00:10:46,680 –> 00:10:49,399
Some General
wants to talk to you.

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00:10:59,840 –> 00:11:00,989
Good afternoon.

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00:11:01,080 –> 00:11:02,877
Good afternoon to you, too.

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00:11:03,520 –> 00:11:07,638
I wonder if you could be so kind to
direct me to the Arab Culture Center?

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00:11:07,760 –> 00:11:09,239
Excuse me?

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00:11:09,360 –> 00:11:11,920
We’ve been invited by the
local cultural department to play

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00:11:12,000 –> 00:11:14,878
at the initiation ceremony
of the Arab Culture Center.

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00:11:15,000 –> 00:11:16,638
What?

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00:11:16,760 –> 00:11:18,239
Where are you from?

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00:11:18,360 –> 00:11:19,759
We are from Egypt.

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00:11:20,160 –> 00:11:21,479
Egypt?

75
00:11:23,280 –> 00:11:25,794
We are the Alexandria
Ceremonial Orchestra…

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00:11:25,880 –> 00:11:27,632
There is no Arab Center here.

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00:11:29,800 –> 00:11:31,279
No Arab Culture Center?

78
00:11:31,360 –> 00:11:35,911
No culture. Not Israeli culture,
not Arab, no culture at all.

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00:11:36,000 –> 00:11:37,672
Bloody nowhere.

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00:11:45,800 –> 00:11:47,472
Who invited you?

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00:11:56,040 –> 00:11:58,554
The Betah Tikva Cultural Department.

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00:11:58,720 –> 00:12:00,517
Petah Tikva?
– Betah Tikva.

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00:12:00,600 –> 00:12:03,319
I think he needs Petah Tikva.
– Do you need Petah Tikva?

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00:12:03,400 –> 00:12:06,392
Betah Tikva.
– Not Betah… Petah!

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00:12:45,760 –> 00:12:48,797
As soon as we get back, you are to
report to the disciplinary commission!

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00:12:49,040 –> 00:12:52,430
I’ll make sure you will not stay
with us one more day!

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00:12:52,760 –> 00:12:54,273
Is that clear?

88
00:12:55,040 –> 00:12:56,678
Clear?

89
00:13:27,200 –> 00:13:30,078
General, you need help, General?

90
00:13:39,240 –> 00:13:40,719
Assholes!

91
00:13:59,200 –> 00:14:00,952
Arert we eating today?

92
00:14:07,080 –> 00:14:08,513
Excuse me?

93
00:14:08,760 –> 00:14:10,637
I asked if we’re going to eat.

94
00:14:11,200 –> 00:14:14,078
I did not join the police
to starve to death.

95
00:14:14,560 –> 00:14:17,916
And anyhow, I’m not really sure
that you know where we’re going.

96
00:14:19,720 –> 00:14:21,392
Pardon me?

97
00:14:25,000 –> 00:14:27,389
Does anyone else feel like Khaled?

98
00:14:27,840 –> 00:14:30,718
We haven’t eaten
since this morning, sir.

99
00:14:31,400 –> 00:14:32,958
All of us.

100
00:14:36,320 –> 00:14:38,834
Just a second…

101
00:14:39,640 –> 00:14:41,995
Khaled, would you mind…

102
00:14:47,680 –> 00:14:49,910
They haven’t eaten
since this morning,

103
00:14:50,240 –> 00:14:52,629
this might affect their playing.

104
00:14:53,280 –> 00:14:56,238
Perhaps we could organize something
with those people back there.

105
00:14:56,360 –> 00:14:58,794
After that,
things will fall into place.

106
00:15:15,800 –> 00:15:17,358
Hello again, General.

107
00:15:19,160 –> 00:15:20,878
Madame, I would like…

108
00:15:22,280 –> 00:15:25,158
on behalf of the Alexandria
Ceremonial Orchestra,

109
00:15:30,320 –> 00:15:33,437
we shall be grateful if you
could be so kind to help us,

110
00:15:34,120 –> 00:15:36,759
in light of the circumstances.

111
00:15:38,160 –> 00:15:39,639
How can I help you?

112
00:15:41,400 –> 00:15:43,789
Would it be possible to dine here?

113
00:15:44,600 –> 00:15:46,397
Lt’s a restaurant here, no?

114
00:15:47,120 –> 00:15:48,712
Yes, but…

115
00:15:48,840 –> 00:15:52,628
we have little Israeli money left.
We don’t need something special,

116
00:15:52,720 –> 00:15:54,915
just some bread, something light.

117
00:15:55,520 –> 00:15:57,750
Could we pay with Egyptian money?

118
00:16:08,480 –> 00:16:10,948
Don’t take this disciplinary
thing to heart.

119
00:16:11,040 –> 00:16:12,871
It’s all bullshit.

120
00:16:13,080 –> 00:16:15,640
Say you’re sorry and you’ll
get off with a warning.

121
00:16:15,760 –> 00:16:18,593
He can fire me for all I care.

122
00:16:19,120 –> 00:16:22,237
Did I spend five years
at the academy for this?

123
00:16:22,640 –> 00:16:24,915
Playing marches in the desert?

124
00:16:27,560 –> 00:16:30,518
How can you stand him?

125
00:16:31,880 –> 00:16:35,077
Ask Simon what it’s like to be
with him for 20 years.

126
00:16:35,360 –> 00:16:39,399
Simon, are you conducting
tomorrow or not?

127
00:17:39,680 –> 00:17:40,999
Why did you stop?

128
00:17:41,480 –> 00:17:43,311
I didn’t finish it.

129
00:17:47,000 –> 00:17:48,353
You wrote this?

130
00:17:48,520 –> 00:17:49,873
Yes.

131
00:17:50,000 –> 00:17:53,595
It’s an overture for a concerto

132
00:17:54,080 –> 00:17:55,957
but I didn’t finish it.

133
00:18:47,400 –> 00:18:48,913
Backgammon?

134
00:18:54,080 –> 00:18:55,638
What do you say about that?

135
00:19:02,280 –> 00:19:05,875
We shall be going soon.
You have been very kind to us.

136
00:19:07,760 –> 00:19:09,273
You’re welcome.

137
00:19:10,640 –> 00:19:12,358
You decided what to do?

138
00:19:12,960 –> 00:19:14,439
We shall manage.

139
00:19:16,160 –> 00:19:18,151
There is no more bus today.

140
00:19:19,080 –> 00:19:20,229
No more bus?

141
00:19:20,400 –> 00:19:22,516
No. Finished.

142
00:19:23,680 –> 00:19:24,999
Hotel?

143
00:19:26,240 –> 00:19:28,071
Hotel? Here?

144
00:19:30,240 –> 00:19:31,593
Of course.

145
00:19:34,760 –> 00:19:36,273
When is your show?

146
00:19:36,680 –> 00:19:38,511
Lt is tomorrow evening.

147
00:19:45,360 –> 00:19:46,634
Say, ltzik…

148
00:19:48,200 –> 00:19:50,031
Can you take three of them?

149
00:19:50,560 –> 00:19:51,629
What?

150
00:19:52,000 –> 00:19:54,275
Musicians.
They have nowhere to sleep.

151
00:19:55,000 –> 00:19:56,911
Take them where?

152
00:19:57,080 –> 00:20:00,038
What’s the big deal? Two
in the living room, one with the kid,

153
00:20:00,200 –> 00:20:02,714
I’ll take three, four here,
how many are they anyway?

154
00:20:03,360 –> 00:20:04,634
I don’t know.

155
00:20:04,760 –> 00:20:07,069
We’ll manage something.
I mean, they’re stuck.

156
00:20:07,240 –> 00:20:09,549
Give me a break,
it’s Iris’ birthday.

157
00:20:09,680 –> 00:20:11,238
Even better.

158
00:20:16,600 –> 00:20:18,238
You know what, General?

159
00:20:18,360 –> 00:20:21,238
You can stay here with us
tonight, if you want to.

160
00:20:21,640 –> 00:20:23,119
What do you mean, here?

161
00:20:23,440 –> 00:20:26,591
Here, with us.
You can sleep here tonight.

162
00:20:27,360 –> 00:20:28,793
I can take some,

163
00:20:29,120 –> 00:20:30,838
Papi can make room here,

164
00:20:30,920 –> 00:20:33,593
I have some room in the restaurant
and I talked to ltzik.

165
00:20:33,680 –> 00:20:36,069
It’s okay,
we can work something out.

166
00:20:36,520 –> 00:20:38,272
Tomorrow morning you take
the bus.

167
00:20:40,240 –> 00:20:42,913
No, no, thank you.
You’ve done too much already.

168
00:20:43,960 –> 00:20:47,270
We shall call our Embassy,
they will take care of things.

169
00:20:50,800 –> 00:20:52,074
Okay.

170
00:20:52,400 –> 00:20:56,234
But just I want you to know that
if you want, we here in Bet Hatikva,

171
00:20:56,320 –> 00:20:59,995
we shall be very honored to have the
Alexandria Police Orchestra with us.

172
00:21:01,160 –> 00:21:02,559
Really.

173
00:21:07,400 –> 00:21:09,311
Will your husband agree to that?

174
00:21:15,400 –> 00:21:17,436
Once when I see him I ask him.

175
00:21:17,880 –> 00:21:19,472
You’re not married.

176
00:21:19,640 –> 00:21:20,834
Me?

177
00:21:21,480 –> 00:21:22,833
No.

178
00:21:25,040 –> 00:21:26,917
By the way, I’m Dina.

179
00:21:28,360 –> 00:21:29,759
Tewfiq.

180
00:21:31,960 –> 00:21:33,552
What do you say?

181
00:21:35,200 –> 00:21:36,633
Please.

182
00:21:37,640 –> 00:21:39,119
Please.

183
00:21:41,080 –> 00:21:43,071
We’ll spend the night here.

184
00:21:43,160 –> 00:21:44,388
No shit.

185
00:21:44,480 –> 00:21:46,118
Khaled!

186
00:21:47,440 –> 00:21:51,319
I hope there’s no need to remind you
of the delicate situation we’re in,

187
00:21:51,440 –> 00:21:55,149
nor of the effect
this whole story will have

188
00:21:55,240 –> 00:21:57,595
on our struggle over
next year’s budget.

189
00:21:58,720 –> 00:22:02,076
Please bare in mind:
We’re here representing Egypt,

190
00:22:02,160 –> 00:22:05,948
and I expect you all to conduct
yourselves with dignity.

191
00:22:06,280 –> 00:22:09,158
We need to carry out
this mission together,

192
00:22:09,240 –> 00:22:13,279
and prove to whoever needs proof
what we are made of.

193
00:22:13,480 –> 00:22:18,270
Let’s all protect the good name of
the Alexandria Police Orchestra!

194
00:22:19,120 –> 00:22:20,633
Good luck to you all.

195
00:22:21,120 –> 00:22:22,712
Khaled stays with me.

196
00:22:33,680 –> 00:22:35,511
We’ll spend the night here,
in the restaurant.

197
00:22:42,520 –> 00:22:44,750
So, you come?

198
00:23:10,160 –> 00:23:12,037
How are you, Mrs. Maimon?

199
00:23:31,680 –> 00:23:33,079
I’m not…

200
00:23:33,280 –> 00:23:35,748
I don’t open it too much.
Not many guests.

201
00:23:36,920 –> 00:23:39,309
Do you prefer the wall
or the window?

202
00:23:41,920 –> 00:23:43,148
So…

203
00:23:44,280 –> 00:23:45,952
Coffee?

204
00:23:46,080 –> 00:23:48,150
Yes.
– No, please, we’re fine.

205
00:24:14,280 –> 00:24:15,633
What are you looking at?

206
00:24:19,240 –> 00:24:21,435
Come, bring us coffee.

207
00:24:33,360 –> 00:24:35,078
Very quiet here.

208
00:24:35,560 –> 00:24:36,993
Dead.

209
00:24:40,000 –> 00:24:42,673
Alexandria is a big city, yes?

210
00:24:42,880 –> 00:24:45,075
A lot of people, and lights.

211
00:24:45,160 –> 00:24:46,559
And noise.

212
00:24:46,640 –> 00:24:50,633
It’s good. You feel you live,
it’s not like here.

213
00:24:51,520 –> 00:24:53,351
You don’t like to be here?

214
00:24:54,680 –> 00:24:57,148
Lt’s my life. I got used.

215
00:24:57,280 –> 00:24:59,840
But sometimes…

216
00:25:00,040 –> 00:25:04,397
Sometimes I think maybe I could…

217
00:25:06,160 –> 00:25:07,673
Why didn’t you?

218
00:25:07,800 –> 00:25:09,836
I met my first husband.

219
00:25:10,320 –> 00:25:14,632
And you, General? Do you have
someone waiting for you in Egypt?

220
00:25:17,520 –> 00:25:18,873
A wife?

221
00:25:19,200 –> 00:25:20,553
No, no.

222
00:25:38,480 –> 00:25:42,439
Maybe after, if you want,
we can go out a little.

223
00:25:43,400 –> 00:25:46,710
No thank you, Madame,
it’s too late.

224
00:25:46,840 –> 00:25:50,230
It’s no big deal.
Just show you around.

225
00:25:50,360 –> 00:25:52,191
There is a place,
not far from here.

226
00:25:52,280 –> 00:25:54,999
Nice, some food, some drink.

227
00:25:56,400 –> 00:25:59,358
The woman wants to go out,
why not take her out?

228
00:26:00,720 –> 00:26:02,472
You want to come too, Khaled?

229
00:26:03,480 –> 00:26:05,755
No thank you, Madame.
I’ll stay.

230
00:26:23,240 –> 00:26:24,593
How do I look?

231
00:26:25,200 –> 00:26:26,997
Very fine, indeed.

232
00:26:29,600 –> 00:26:31,670
Would you say
if you thought otherwise?

233
00:26:40,280 –> 00:26:42,430
Don’t you want to take
your hat off?

234
00:26:42,520 –> 00:26:43,839
Excuse me?

235
00:26:44,480 –> 00:26:47,392
Lt’s very hot with a hat.
You can take it off.

236
00:26:51,360 –> 00:26:52,554
Yes.

237
00:26:53,720 –> 00:26:56,029
It’s better, no?

238
00:26:57,080 –> 00:26:59,310
A man should not hide
behind a hat.

239
00:27:01,720 –> 00:27:03,551
Got yourself a General, Dina?

240
00:27:03,640 –> 00:27:05,278
What’s up?
Has she called yet?

241
00:27:05,360 –> 00:27:07,794
Soon. She’ll call
any minute now.

242
00:27:07,880 –> 00:27:09,598
God help you.

243
00:27:17,880 –> 00:27:19,279
Oh, sorry!

244
00:27:21,800 –> 00:27:22,915
Lt’s okay.

245
00:27:24,480 –> 00:27:25,913
You saw this boy?

246
00:27:27,440 –> 00:27:29,795
Every night he waits
for his girlfriend to call.

247
00:27:33,960 –> 00:27:35,393
Oh, shit! I forgot!

248
00:27:35,480 –> 00:27:38,472
Look, can you…
When I tell you, okay?

249
00:27:39,040 –> 00:27:40,314
With the key.

250
00:27:52,960 –> 00:27:55,918
Almost a month it’s like this.
Every time I forget to fix it.

251
00:28:52,000 –> 00:28:53,274
Sorry.

252
00:28:57,720 –> 00:28:59,551
You know,
she has her birthday today?

253
00:29:01,400 –> 00:29:02,435
Happy birthday.

254
00:29:02,560 –> 00:29:03,595
Thank you.

255
00:29:03,720 –> 00:29:04,835
Many happy years.

256
00:29:04,920 –> 00:29:06,239
Thank you.

257
00:29:09,160 –> 00:29:10,479
See they’re alright?

258
00:29:13,240 –> 00:29:14,673
Nice people, right?

259
00:29:14,760 –> 00:29:16,113
Why shouldn’t they be?

260
00:29:16,480 –> 00:29:17,993
So you’re awake?

261
00:29:19,360 –> 00:29:20,349
Very nice.

262
00:29:20,440 –> 00:29:22,351
Too bad they don’t visit
all the time.

263
00:29:22,440 –> 00:29:24,351
You should invite them more often.

264
00:29:27,160 –> 00:29:30,152
So what do you do in the
orchestra? What do you play?

265
00:29:30,240 –> 00:29:33,994
I play the clarinet,
and I also conduct.

266
00:29:39,800 –> 00:29:41,631
Well, sometimes.

267
00:29:41,720 –> 00:29:44,871
You know, Avrum,
Simon wrote a concerto.

268
00:29:45,000 –> 00:29:45,796
A concerto?

269
00:29:46,640 –> 00:29:49,108
Before, in the restaurant,
he played for me.

270
00:29:49,840 –> 00:29:54,516
Well, it’s not really a concerto,
I didn’t finish it.

271
00:29:54,680 –> 00:29:57,240
We’re all going to cry now…

272
00:29:57,640 –> 00:29:59,073
Schubert.

273
00:30:00,880 –> 00:30:02,393
Why not finish?

274
00:30:02,680 –> 00:30:06,116
I started to write this after
I finished the academy,

275
00:30:07,800 –> 00:30:10,792
but then, my wife,
got pregnant and…

276
00:30:10,920 –> 00:30:13,070
time, and…

277
00:30:17,160 –> 00:30:19,116
Do you work in the restaurant?

278
00:30:22,840 –> 00:30:26,116
Not really. I’m between works now.

279
00:30:26,320 –> 00:30:28,356
Between for almost a year.

280
00:30:32,120 –> 00:30:33,553
It’s clean, okay?

281
00:30:36,880 –> 00:30:38,916
He should be saying thank you,
instead of making faces.

282
00:30:41,600 –> 00:30:46,276
You know, I also played
the violin.

283
00:30:46,560 –> 00:30:48,118
There he goes again.

284
00:30:49,520 –> 00:30:51,431
I used to play at…

285
00:30:51,960 –> 00:30:54,520
weddings, celebrations…

286
00:30:55,920 –> 00:30:57,638
That’s how I met my wife.

287
00:30:57,960 –> 00:31:01,157
That story again… We didn’t meet
there, we met at your aunt’s.

288
00:31:01,240 –> 00:31:02,673
Come on, didn’t we meet
at the Calypso?

289
00:31:02,800 –> 00:31:04,199
We met at your aunt’s.

290
00:31:04,280 –> 00:31:05,838
Okay, but where did love start?

291
00:31:06,040 –> 00:31:06,836
What love?

292
00:31:06,920 –> 00:31:09,309
Besides, why do you
care so much about details?

293
00:31:11,040 –> 00:31:13,031
Do you really care if they’ll
think we met at the Calypso?

294
00:31:13,120 –> 00:31:14,917
Lt doesn’t matter.

295
00:31:15,000 –> 00:31:16,638
I don’t care what they think.

296
00:31:19,320 –> 00:31:23,518
I used to play there with a band.
All songs.

297
00:31:23,720 –> 00:31:27,998
Beatles, Rolling Stones, Klezmers,
everything.

298
00:31:29,040 –> 00:31:32,953
Then one day I was playing
and she was dancing.

299
00:31:34,240 –> 00:31:35,832
And I looked…

300
00:31:36,400 –> 00:31:40,678
and maybe for three or four minutes
I stopped playing.

301
00:31:51,960 –> 00:31:53,393
I was like a stone.

302
00:31:55,480 –> 00:31:59,155
And of course I was dressed
nice and played,

303
00:31:59,640 –> 00:32:01,756
so she was in love.

304
00:32:05,280 –> 00:32:06,838
You know that?

305
00:33:37,040 –> 00:33:38,393
Good evening.

306
00:33:38,520 –> 00:33:40,476
Egyptian Embassy?

307
00:33:41,600 –> 00:33:45,832
This is Kamal Abdel Azim of
the Alexandria Police Orchestra.

308
00:33:46,000 –> 00:33:47,956
We’re in trouble.

309
00:33:48,720 –> 00:33:52,952
Kamal Abdel Azim of the
Alexandria Police Orchestra.

310
00:33:54,560 –> 00:33:56,755
We’re in trouble.

311
00:33:58,160 –> 00:34:00,958
The Alexandria Police Orchestra!

312
00:34:02,120 –> 00:34:03,633
Yes, please.

313
00:34:04,000 –> 00:34:09,438
08-6583000.

314
00:34:09,520 –> 00:34:11,670
Yes, please.

315
00:34:11,760 –> 00:34:14,672
Good bye, sir.

316
00:34:29,080 –> 00:34:30,593
Arab salad,

317
00:34:32,000 –> 00:34:33,513
tahini sauce,

318
00:34:34,440 –> 00:34:36,078
fries, lots.

319
00:34:37,720 –> 00:34:39,233
Put some more.

320
00:34:47,040 –> 00:34:48,758
You sure you don’t want something?

321
00:34:49,600 –> 00:34:51,079
Coffee, maybe?

322
00:34:51,840 –> 00:34:53,831
Yes, maybe coffee. Thank you.

323
00:34:56,280 –> 00:34:58,032
Coffee. Get us a coffee.

324
00:35:06,240 –> 00:35:08,515
Tewfiq, tell me something
in Arabic.

325
00:35:09,600 –> 00:35:10,476
What?

326
00:35:10,600 –> 00:35:14,275
Something. I don’t know,
just to hear the music.

327
00:35:24,640 –> 00:35:26,119
What does it mean?

328
00:35:26,880 –> 00:35:29,269
In wintertime, take an umbrella,

329
00:35:29,360 –> 00:35:32,557
in summertime, put a hat
on your head,

330
00:35:32,640 –> 00:35:35,757
in autumn time stay at home.

331
00:35:49,200 –> 00:35:50,633
Everything is okay?

332
00:35:50,920 –> 00:35:54,310
Yes, it’s just…
People are staring.

333
00:35:54,440 –> 00:35:57,512
Leave it. People here
are in the Stone Age, you know?

334
00:36:13,280 –> 00:36:15,953
So what do you play
in the orchestra?

335
00:36:16,360 –> 00:36:19,989
You play like army music?
You know, like…

336
00:36:25,200 –> 00:36:29,591
We are a traditional orchestra.
We play classical Arab music.

337
00:36:30,560 –> 00:36:32,790
What, like um Kulthoum? Farid?

338
00:36:32,920 –> 00:36:34,319
Yes.

339
00:36:36,240 –> 00:36:38,356
Why police needs to play
um Kulthoum?

340
00:36:40,560 –> 00:36:43,472
This is like asking
why a man needs a soul.

341
00:36:54,120 –> 00:36:58,238
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that…
I mean, it’s nice.

342
00:37:01,760 –> 00:37:04,558
It’s okay. You’re not the only one
who thinks that way.

343
00:37:05,480 –> 00:37:08,278
Music today is not
that important any more.

344
00:37:08,920 –> 00:37:10,319
What do you mean?

345
00:37:10,880 –> 00:37:13,838
Well, people today care about
other things:

346
00:37:13,960 –> 00:37:16,793
Money, efficiency, won’th.

347
00:37:18,080 –> 00:37:20,435
People are stupid, aren’t they?

348
00:37:22,920 –> 00:37:25,992
Yes, they are, sometimes.

349
00:37:58,080 –> 00:37:59,433
Papi…

350
00:37:59,840 –> 00:38:02,035
Oh no, not him…

351
00:38:02,520 –> 00:38:05,432
Going out? Good time?

352
00:38:05,640 –> 00:38:06,914
Don’t know.

353
00:38:07,040 –> 00:38:08,678
Just going…

354
00:38:08,800 –> 00:38:10,552
out.

355
00:38:11,640 –> 00:38:14,074
I don’t lock. You can go in.

356
00:38:15,080 –> 00:38:18,595
I can go too, you know.
Have a good time.

357
00:38:19,280 –> 00:38:23,831
I don’t sleep, so maybe
I come with you, like a tourist.

358
00:38:23,920 –> 00:38:25,353
Have a look on the city.

359
00:38:25,440 –> 00:38:26,919
No…

360
00:38:28,120 –> 00:38:29,792
No, see…

361
00:38:31,840 –> 00:38:33,831
One girl. Okay?

362
00:38:36,440 –> 00:38:37,429
One girl?

363
00:38:37,520 –> 00:38:39,317
Yes. One girl.

364
00:38:40,400 –> 00:38:44,075
Okay. I just look on the city.

365
00:38:45,440 –> 00:38:47,396
You and the girl do what you want.

366
00:38:49,280 –> 00:38:50,679
Khaled.

367
00:38:51,000 –> 00:38:52,513
Papi.

368
00:38:56,520 –> 00:38:58,238
Well, this raises questions.

369
00:38:58,920 –> 00:39:01,832
They’re all like that.

370
00:39:02,760 –> 00:39:04,273
Very questionable.

371
00:39:08,480 –> 00:39:11,153
I like clothes. Clothes nice.

372
00:39:11,280 –> 00:39:12,793
Yes.

373
00:39:13,200 –> 00:39:15,156
Like Michael Jackson.

374
00:39:33,080 –> 00:39:34,718
This is the cousin?

375
00:39:35,560 –> 00:39:36,709
Well?

376
00:39:36,920 –> 00:39:39,912
No way,
it’s that gloomy girl.

377
00:39:40,120 –> 00:39:42,475
You fixed me up
with that gloomy girl?

378
00:39:42,560 –> 00:39:43,515
Is she gloomy?

379
00:39:43,600 –> 00:39:45,238
Of course she’s gloomy.

380
00:39:45,360 –> 00:39:46,315
She’s not gloomy.

381
00:39:46,400 –> 00:39:47,469
She is!

382
00:39:47,600 –> 00:39:49,431
Come on, you’re exaggerating.

383
00:39:51,000 –> 00:39:52,194
Hi.

384
00:39:53,240 –> 00:39:55,629
Papi, meet my cousin, Julia.

385
00:39:56,680 –> 00:39:57,908
Hi.

386
00:39:59,600 –> 00:40:00,953
Make some room.

387
00:40:08,800 –> 00:40:12,110
I just look on the city.
No problem.

388
00:40:30,160 –> 00:40:32,958
Tewfiq, you see this guy?

389
00:40:41,320 –> 00:40:43,038
He’s someone that…

390
00:40:43,640 –> 00:40:48,156
I mean, me and him,
we sometimes, you know…

391
00:40:51,960 –> 00:40:53,393
I see.

392
00:41:04,880 –> 00:41:06,393
Hi, Sammy.

393
00:41:07,880 –> 00:41:11,475
Meet Tewfiq, a good friend
of mine.

394
00:41:13,360 –> 00:41:16,511
Please meet.
This is Sammy.

395
00:41:27,280 –> 00:41:30,875
Tewfiq is a conductor.
They came here for a special concert.

396
00:41:31,000 –> 00:41:32,319
How do you do?

397
00:41:38,640 –> 00:41:39,914
How are you doing?

398
00:41:45,360 –> 00:41:46,588
Son of a bitch.

399
00:41:46,880 –> 00:41:48,996
A real son of a bitch!

400
00:41:54,520 –> 00:41:55,714
One minute.

401
00:42:25,320 –> 00:42:26,833
This is for you.

402
00:45:45,160 –> 00:45:46,479
Come, Papi.

403
00:45:48,280 –> 00:45:49,599
No…

404
00:45:49,960 –> 00:45:51,837
This ain’t for me.

405
00:45:52,000 –> 00:45:53,718
Come on, don’t be scared.

406
00:45:55,000 –> 00:45:56,513
I’ll show you.

407
00:45:58,560 –> 00:45:59,515
No, please…

408
00:45:59,600 –> 00:46:00,476
Don’t be scared.

409
00:46:00,560 –> 00:46:01,993
Stop it, get off my back!

410
00:46:19,520 –> 00:46:21,636
You don’t go with girls a lot, eh?

411
00:46:22,240 –> 00:46:23,639
No.

412
00:46:26,760 –> 00:46:28,751
I hear the sea in my ears.

413
00:46:29,400 –> 00:46:31,709
Sea? In your ears?

414
00:46:31,800 –> 00:46:33,153
Yes.

415
00:46:33,280 –> 00:46:36,317
I don’t know what to say,
what to do.

416
00:46:37,240 –> 00:46:40,357
I want to talk, but I hear
sea in my ears.

417
00:46:42,880 –> 00:46:44,438
Like that…

418
00:46:54,480 –> 00:46:57,119
So you and girls, you never…

419
00:46:59,000 –> 00:47:00,831
You never…?

420
00:47:03,760 –> 00:47:04,670
You?

421
00:47:04,760 –> 00:47:06,352
Yes.

422
00:47:09,520 –> 00:47:11,033
What’s it like?

423
00:47:13,080 –> 00:47:16,709
I can tell you, but…

424
00:47:16,840 –> 00:47:18,512
only in Arabic.

425
00:48:03,280 –> 00:48:04,793
This is the park.

426
00:48:07,360 –> 00:48:10,079
It doesn’t look like a park,
but it’s a park.

427
00:48:10,840 –> 00:48:12,273
You have to imagine.

428
00:48:14,320 –> 00:48:15,673
You see?

429
00:48:16,000 –> 00:48:17,831
This is the grass.

430
00:48:19,040 –> 00:48:22,191
And there is where
the children play.

431
00:48:25,200 –> 00:48:26,599
And this…

432
00:48:27,760 –> 00:48:29,478
This is the sea.

433
00:48:35,320 –> 00:48:37,788
Tell me, how does it feel?

434
00:48:39,200 –> 00:48:44,115
I mean to do music, to have
the orchestra, how does it feel?

435
00:48:45,840 –> 00:48:47,273
Well…

436
00:48:48,640 –> 00:48:52,679
To have all the people waiting
for you, and all the eyes for you…

437
00:48:53,400 –> 00:48:54,753
You know…

438
00:48:55,800 –> 00:48:57,119
It’s…

439
00:48:58,840 –> 00:49:00,273
It’s…

440
00:49:00,600 –> 00:49:02,113
Yes…

441
00:49:03,720 –> 00:49:05,278
What?

442
00:49:30,200 –> 00:49:32,714
Lt looks like the most important
thing in the world.

443
00:49:32,880 –> 00:49:35,633
No, the most important thing
in the world is fishing.

444
00:49:35,800 –> 00:49:37,552
What? Fishing?

445
00:49:39,320 –> 00:49:40,514
Lt’s so boring!

446
00:49:40,600 –> 00:49:41,635
No, it’s not boring.

447
00:49:41,760 –> 00:49:44,877
To sit whole days like that,
maybe four hours

448
00:49:45,000 –> 00:49:46,956
until you catch something?

449
00:49:47,160 –> 00:49:48,718
Lt’s not boring at all.

450
00:49:49,320 –> 00:49:53,552
It’s the sound of water,
and waves,

451
00:49:53,680 –> 00:49:56,956
and distant children playing
on the beach,

452
00:49:57,560 –> 00:50:00,711
the sound of the bait falling
in the water.

453
00:50:01,040 –> 00:50:04,316
In early hours at sea you can hear
the whole world like…

454
00:50:05,440 –> 00:50:07,078
Like a symphony.

455
00:50:11,200 –> 00:50:13,953
And the fish, you cook it?

456
00:50:14,320 –> 00:50:15,833
Well, usually I don’t catch.

457
00:50:18,520 –> 00:50:21,432
But sometimes I just put them back
in the water.

458
00:50:21,560 –> 00:50:22,595
Really?

459
00:50:23,720 –> 00:50:26,393
Before, when my wife was alive
I used to take them home

460
00:50:26,480 –> 00:50:28,311
and she used to cook…

461
00:50:30,600 –> 00:50:33,034
but now I just put them back.

462
00:50:36,800 –> 00:50:38,153
Your wife is dead?

463
00:50:38,960 –> 00:50:40,279
Yes.

464
00:50:42,920 –> 00:50:44,876
Was it a long time ago?

465
00:50:46,960 –> 00:50:49,030
Almost 3 years ago.

466
00:50:49,160 –> 00:50:53,870
In September, the 21 st.

467
00:50:55,160 –> 00:50:57,549
I’m sorry if I’m asking something
that hurts.

468
00:50:58,760 –> 00:51:03,436
No, it’s okay. They say it’s good
to talk sometimes about things…

469
00:51:09,720 –> 00:51:11,278
She was pretty?

470
00:51:12,480 –> 00:51:13,754
Yes.

471
00:51:15,200 –> 00:51:18,636
Did she like fishing?
– No. Not at all.

472
00:51:20,520 –> 00:51:21,873
How did you meet?

473
00:51:22,840 –> 00:51:27,356
In the academy, at a friend’s house.
She came with her friends.

474
00:51:27,760 –> 00:51:32,038
You know, we talked,
she laughed at me with her friends,

475
00:51:32,120 –> 00:51:34,315
I thought she didn’t like me,
but…

476
00:51:35,520 –> 00:51:39,399
after a few days she came
to see me play a concert.

477
00:51:44,000 –> 00:51:45,718
Did you have children?

478
00:51:48,000 –> 00:51:49,797
We had one child.

479
00:51:50,360 –> 00:51:51,713
One?!

480
00:51:52,280 –> 00:51:53,759
One son?

481
00:51:55,400 –> 00:51:59,359
What, you, a big man like you,
Arabic, you know, family…

482
00:51:59,600 –> 00:52:01,272
and only one son?

483
00:52:11,000 –> 00:52:12,752
I’m joking.

484
00:52:20,240 –> 00:52:22,310
Can we please go now?

485
00:52:24,000 –> 00:52:25,399
Okay.

486
00:53:00,600 –> 00:53:01,828
What?

487
00:53:02,480 –> 00:53:04,630
The cousin is crying.

488
00:53:04,800 –> 00:53:05,949
Why is she crying?

489
00:53:06,040 –> 00:53:07,917
How would I know.

490
00:53:09,400 –> 00:53:11,516
Just sort something out.

491
00:54:29,360 –> 00:54:31,032
You need a drink.

492
00:55:27,440 –> 00:55:29,510
You drink also.

493
00:55:46,480 –> 00:55:48,118
Now what?

494
00:57:05,120 –> 00:57:07,156
We are going to sleep now.

495
00:57:09,200 –> 00:57:11,509
I am sorry if we caused trouble.

496
00:57:12,760 –> 00:57:15,718
No, no. It’s not you.

497
00:57:16,440 –> 00:57:19,159
All the time it’s like this now.
We fight, she go…

498
00:57:35,640 –> 00:57:36,993
Stupid, isn’t it?

499
00:58:32,400 –> 00:58:33,913
You know…

500
00:58:36,120 –> 00:58:38,998
maybe this is how your
concerto ends.

501
00:58:39,320 –> 00:58:42,471
I mean… not a big end

502
00:58:42,560 –> 00:58:45,836
with trumpets and violins,

503
00:58:46,600 –> 00:58:48,591
maybe this is the finish.

504
00:58:49,760 –> 00:58:51,751
Just like that, suddenly.

505
00:58:52,400 –> 00:58:54,595
Not sad, not happy.

506
00:58:56,040 –> 00:58:57,632
Just…

507
00:59:00,720 –> 00:59:02,358
a small room,

508
00:59:04,440 –> 00:59:05,873
a lamp,

509
00:59:06,640 –> 00:59:08,073
a bed,

510
00:59:09,560 –> 00:59:11,471
child sleeps,

511
00:59:13,040 –> 00:59:14,519
and…

512
00:59:23,080 –> 00:59:25,230
tons of loneliness.

513
01:01:06,320 –> 01:01:07,594
Yes?

514
01:01:07,960 –> 01:01:09,996
This is me, Kamal.

515
01:01:10,120 –> 01:01:12,156
Are you sending a car?

516
01:01:12,240 –> 01:01:13,719
Very good.

517
01:01:14,000 –> 01:01:15,877
I am at the phone.

518
01:01:16,040 –> 01:01:17,632
Very good.

519
01:01:17,840 –> 01:01:20,400
Waiting for instructions.

520
01:01:21,080 –> 01:01:23,878
Goodbye, sir. Goodbye.

521
01:01:47,120 –> 01:01:49,076
Do you like Arab movies, Tewfiq?

522
01:01:50,400 –> 01:01:52,391
Omar Sharif, Faten Hamama…

523
01:01:52,920 –> 01:01:55,718
When I was young we used
to have here, on television,

524
01:01:55,800 –> 01:01:57,631
Arab movies, Egyptian movies.

525
01:01:57,760 –> 01:01:59,352
Every Friday at noon,

526
01:01:59,840 –> 01:02:03,958
all the streets in Israel were empty
because of the Arab movie,

527
01:02:04,160 –> 01:02:07,391
and me, my mother, my sister,
we sit and we see Egyptian movie

528
01:02:07,480 –> 01:02:09,789
and we cry our eyes out.

529
01:02:13,440 –> 01:02:15,749
We were all in love with
Omar Sharif.

530
01:02:16,000 –> 01:02:18,560
We were all in love with love.

531
01:02:20,840 –> 01:02:23,593
And I think that now, this night,

532
01:02:23,920 –> 01:02:26,388
we could live this again,
you know…

533
01:02:26,560 –> 01:02:29,711
big love in big Arabic words…

534
01:02:39,560 –> 01:02:42,996
But I fuck it all up
like everything else.

535
01:02:44,680 –> 01:02:46,750
My life is an Arab movie.

536
01:02:58,080 –> 01:03:00,469
My wife you have
asked about before,

537
01:03:00,760 –> 01:03:02,637
she died because of me.

538
01:03:03,160 –> 01:03:04,673
We had a son,

539
01:03:04,840 –> 01:03:07,274
a bright and beautiful son,

540
01:03:08,160 –> 01:03:10,310
he made some mistakes.

541
01:03:11,000 –> 01:03:13,070
I was hard with him,

542
01:03:14,240 –> 01:03:16,071
I didn’t understand.

543
01:03:17,600 –> 01:03:22,390
He was gentle, fragile, like her.

544
01:03:24,280 –> 01:03:26,236
I didn’t understand him.

545
01:03:28,240 –> 01:03:31,277
He took his life.

546
01:03:33,560 –> 01:03:35,232
It broke her heart.

547
01:03:47,960 –> 01:03:49,951
Do you have children?

548
01:03:50,920 –> 01:03:52,148
No.

549
01:03:54,960 –> 01:03:57,997
When I could have, I was too
occupied with nonsense.

550
01:03:58,280 –> 01:04:00,555
When I wanted, I couldn’t.

551
01:04:02,520 –> 01:04:05,432
Too bad. You are a good woman.

552
01:04:09,120 –> 01:04:10,633
You think so?

553
01:04:12,800 –> 01:04:14,153
I’m sure.

554
01:05:06,280 –> 01:05:07,554
Dina,

555
01:05:09,160 –> 01:05:11,116
do you like Chet Baker?

556
01:05:11,720 –> 01:05:13,039
Who?

557
01:05:13,360 –> 01:05:14,998
Chet Baker.

558
01:05:31,280 –> 01:05:33,874
No. I don’t know.

559
01:05:39,840 –> 01:05:41,671
I like Chet Baker.

560
01:05:48,080 –> 01:05:50,275
I have all his recordings.

561
01:05:50,800 –> 01:05:53,917
From the beginning, with the
Harry Babsin Octet.

562
01:05:54,120 –> 01:05:56,350
To the last concert in ’88.

563
01:07:24,800 –> 01:07:26,756
A bit weak on the lower key,

564
01:07:28,120 –> 01:07:29,792
but not too bad.

565
01:07:34,080 –> 01:07:35,308
I know.

566
01:07:35,960 –> 01:07:37,473
Wine?

567
01:07:52,560 –> 01:07:54,232
I got some left in the fridge.

568
01:07:54,760 –> 01:07:55,875
Thank you.

569
01:07:56,480 –> 01:07:59,790
But I shall go to sleep now.
It’s too late.

570
01:08:00,720 –> 01:08:02,836
You’re sure? You don’t want some?

571
01:08:04,400 –> 01:08:06,994
Not tonight… Not for me.

572
01:08:07,840 –> 01:08:09,796
We have a long day tomorrow.

573
01:08:12,920 –> 01:08:14,194
Okay.

574
01:08:23,280 –> 01:08:25,271
You too, don’t stay up too late.

575
01:08:25,680 –> 01:08:28,274
We shouldn’t impose anymore.

576
01:08:30,880 –> 01:08:32,677
Go on, son.

577
01:08:33,520 –> 01:08:35,636
We have a long day tomorrow.

578
01:09:37,840 –> 01:09:39,273
Hello?

579
01:09:39,360 –> 01:09:40,395
Hi, Amalia.

580
01:09:40,520 –> 01:09:43,751
How are you, sweetie?

581
01:09:43,840 –> 01:09:45,478
I’m fine, how are you?

582
01:09:45,960 –> 01:09:47,916
Is your mother better?

583
01:09:48,800 –> 01:09:50,438
I miss you!

584
01:09:51,280 –> 01:09:54,795
No, I put on a sweatshirt.
The white one you got me.

585
01:09:55,680 –> 01:09:57,079
It keeps me warm.

586
01:09:57,200 –> 01:09:58,269
Love you…

587
01:12:45,600 –> 01:12:47,795
Did you have a quiet night?

588
01:12:49,360 –> 01:12:51,476
I guess. Sort of…

589
01:13:20,840 –> 01:13:23,229
I would like to thank you
for your hospitality.

590
01:13:23,760 –> 01:13:26,149
We shall be ever grateful
for your help.

591
01:13:28,160 –> 01:13:29,639
My pleasure.

592
01:13:59,920 –> 01:14:02,832
This is the place: Petah Tikva.

593
01:14:15,720 –> 01:14:17,312
Goodbye.

594
01:14:18,160 –> 01:14:19,878
Goodbye, Madame.

595
01:18:02,240 –> 01:18:08,873
Sasson Gabai

596
01:18:10,800 –> 01:18:17,512
Ronit Elkabetz

597
01:18:20,640 –> 01:18:26,954
Saleh Bakri

598
01:18:29,200 –> 01:18:35,753
Khalifa Natour

599
01:18:42,760 –> 01:18:47,754
To my Grandmother, Shoshana,
may she rest in peace

600
01:18:48,800 –> 01:18:53,032
Written and directed by
Eran Kolirin