The estranged son of a once famous Moroccan musician is unexpectedly transformed after returning to his homeland, in the bittersweet crowd-pleaser THE MIDNIGHT ORCHESTRA by writer-director Jérôme Cohen-Olivar.
Like many Jews who fled domestic troubles, Michael Abitbol (Avishay Benazra) left Casablanca as a child during the racial tensions of the Yom Kippur War and never looked back. After years of silence and buried memories, the brooding son returns home to make peace with his past. When death claims his father (Marcel Botbol) before they can reunite and reconcile, Michael seeks to understand the legacy of this iconic singer of yesteryear, a man largely unknown to him. With the help of a comical Muslim cab driver (Aziz Dadas) and a host of other quirky characters, he sets off on an adventure to track down the surviving members of his father’s orchestra and fulfill the old man’s dying wish, finding friendship and rediscovering his cultural roots along the way.