Bel Canto

A world-renowned soprano sings at a birthday party in honor of a visiting Japanese industrial titan. Alas, in the opening sequence, a ragtag band of 18 terrorists enters the vice-presidential mansion through the air conditioning ducts. Their quarry is the president, who has unfortunately stayed home to watch a favorite soap opera. Meanwhile, Russian, Italian, and French diplomatic types are among the hostages. Swiss Red Cross negotiator Joachim Messner comes and goes, wrangling over terms and demands. Time stretches into weeks, the weeks into months. Then one day the soprano happens to sing "Vissi d'arte" from Puccini's Tosca; within moments, both captors and hostages are transported to another world. As they listen together they forge unexpected bonds, sharing language itself as if it were an artifact of rare beauty, until eventually something has to give.