That is, however, a fitting way to convey the character of the highly praised Israeli movie The Band's Visit which plays at the Curzon Cinema next Wednesday when it concludes the Eastbourne Film Society's spring mini-season.

As always with presentations by the society, seats are available for the general public.

The Band's Visit is set in the nineties and tells of an Egyptian police band which arrives at Tel Aviv airport to participate in a concert that will inaugurate an Arabian Cultural Centre.

Unfortunately arrangements have been bungled and there is nobody to collect them. The band's conductor, Tawfiq, who is the leader of the group, inadvertently makes matters worse: he orders one of the younger musicians, Haled, to enquire about buses to their destination but they get the wrong information and end up on a bus that deposits them in a remote small town where no Cultural Centre exists or has ever been heard of.

So much of the day has already passed that the visitors have no option but to rely on the help of the local people including the cafe owner Dina who is a divorcee.

In this way the band are put up overnight before resuming their journey the next day in the right direction at last.

It's a short time they spend there, but long enough for Tarfiq and Dina to feel a mutual attraction and for others to go out for a night on the town.

With Sasson Gabai and Ronit Elkabetz ideally cast in the two leading roles, this is a film that adopts a gently humorous tone but which also becomes quite touching in its portrayal of people living somewhat unsatisfactory lives and hoping to overcome the loneliness.

Furthermore, because writer/director Eran Kolirin has set out to make a film about the shared humanity of ordinary folk, this is a film that shows just how much Israelis and Arabs have in common.

The pristine colour photography by Shai Goldman adds to the appeal of a small but delightful movie which caused the critics to declare they could not imagine anyone not enjoying it.