The Visitor Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Connection is everything
connection is everything
A college professor travels to New York to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.
| Richard Jenkins | Walter Vale |
| Haaz Sleiman | Tarek Khalil |
| Danai Jekesai Gurira | Zainab |
| Hiam Abbass | Mouna Khalil |
| Marian Seldes | Barbara |
| Maggie Moore | Karen |
| Michael Cumpsty | Charles |
| Bill McHenry | Darin |
| Richard Kind | Jacob |
| Tzahi Moskovitz | Zev |
| Amir Arison | Mr. Shah |
| Neal Lerner | Martin Revere |
| Ramon Fernandez | Cop #1 |
| Frank Pando | Cop #2 |
| Waleed Zuaiter | Omar |
| Thomas McCarthy |
8.10 out of 10 (2088 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Winning character study falters as an allegory
posted on 28 Jul 2009In the movies when strangers enter your home, it is often played up for horror. But in "The Visitor," Prof. Walter Vale enters his New York apartment and finds a husband and wife living in his home, happily. This is a more benign, humanist tale of strangers invading. Walter befriends the invaders and even learns from them. This setup, though, is really a means to examine xenophobia and current U.S. immigration policy. When Walter welcomes Tarek into his home his life is enriched. So should the U.S. welcome its visitors and have our nation similarly enriched.This message took me out of the story somewhat as the film feels a bit like a didactic exercise, a fable. Director Tom McCarthy stacked the deck thoroughly in his favor. He wants to demonstrate the injustice of current immigration practices specifically deportation. Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), the illegal immigrant in danger of deportation, is extremely kind and brings unhappy recluse Walter out of his shell. I don't doubt that the U.S. is full of noble, kind illegal visitors Tarek, but I also believe the McCarthy intends Tarek to be a stand in for all immigrants. If one so noble as Tarek could be turned away, isn't the process inherently flawed? I should state, however, that I enjoyed "The Visitor" very much. It is a humane film that demonstrates the virtue of opening our lives to others. Like the director's other film "The Station Agent", it tells the story of a man who is enriched when he chooses to get to know and fellowship with his neighbors. The performances are calm and subtle. McCarthy directs with a steady hand and allows room for silence and, in turn, reflection for his audience. Richard Jenkins gives a performance so assured that one cannot imagine another actor in the role."The Visitor" succeeds as a character study, but as an allegory it comes up a little short.
Sensitive & Thoughtful Film
posted on 04 Jul 2009Thomas McCarthy's 2nd film after the wonderful "Station Agent" is equally good, if not better. I can't recommend Richard Jenkins' performance any higher here. He plays a widowed professor who is drifting through life rather aimlessly until he visits his New York apartment and finds there are two people squatting there. I won't give away anything else, except to say that it'll be a shame if this film flies under the radar. Jenkins is a character actor that everyone recognizes, but that few of us know. Here he occupies the first third of the film practically alone, and reminds us in moments of the Jack Nicholson character from "About Schmidt" with his dry humor that is on display for his crabby piano teacher.Don't you just love watching an actor up there alone who keeps you spellbound in a subtle way? That's how this movie starts, and gradually we come to meet the couple in Jenkins' apartment, and the mother of one of them. The movie flows economically and with much care, but by the end it creeps up on us and makes us feel glad along the way as well as making us pause and reflect on the state of our world.Lovely, lovely movie.
a work of art
posted on 28 Jun 2009"The Visitor" is an exquisitely realized drama about an aging economics professor who receives a brand new lease on life. Still grieving over the loss of his beloved wife, Walter Vale is a man who has taken to pretty much coasting through life, teaching the same mind-numbing courses semester after semester and "co-authoring" a book that he knows little about due to the fact that he didn't actually do much to help write it. As the movie begins, Walter is sent by the New England college where he works to deliver a speech on that book at a conference in Manhattan. When he arrives in the city, Walter is shocked to discover two illegal immigrants - a man from Syria and a woman from Senegal - living in the apartment he owns there (a friend of the couple having tricked them into believing that HE was the actual owner). After some initial confusion and embarrassment occasioned by the misunderstanding, a warm relationship develops between Walter and the young man, Tarek, who repays Walter's kindness in allowing them to stay in the apartment by teaching him how to play the djimbe, a hand drum of West African origin. Soon, however, Tarek finds himself in trouble with the immigration department which wants to deport Tarek back to his country of origin. Moved by the plight confronting his new friend, Walter becomes the young man's chief advocate on the outside, trying to secure legal help for him and doing what he can to support Tarek's understandably distraught mother and girlfriend through the crisis.A barebones detailing like the one above could never hope to do full justice to the wonderful work of art that writer/director Thomas McCarthy has wrought from this material. For what starts off as a story about one man's emotional and spiritual reconnection to life broadens out to become a heartbreaking look at the immigrant experience and the melting pot richness of American society. Giving what is clearly one of the most beautifully controlled and thoughtful performances in recent memory, Richard Jenkins takes charge of the film from the very opening frame and never lets go, ever so subtly drawing us into the life and mind of this complex but genuinely decent man who finally finds something outside of his own humdrum existence worth caring about. Devoid of histrionic flourishes of any kind, Jenkins' sensitive and understated performance becomes the perfect vehicle to guide us through this narrative.Equally impressive are the three main supporting actors who contribute greatly to the emotional richness of the piece. The engaging and charismatic quality Haaz Sleiman brings to the part of Tarek is crucial in making us understand just how it is that Walter is willing to go to bat for a man he has known for only a few days (and how refreshing it is to have an Arab character who is NOT an actual terrorist for a change!). As Tarek's young Senegalese lover, Danai Jekesai Gurira undergoes a radical transformation throughout the course of her performance, playing a woman who is at first taciturn and suspicious through a learned sense of caution - then openhearted and giving once she realizes her suspicions about Walter are thoroughly without merit. But it is Hiam Abbass who most captures our heart as Tarek's mother, a woman who believes fervently in the promise of the American Dream, but who knows only too well that, for some people, that dream can quickly turn into a gut-wrenching legal and bureaucratic nightmare, particularly in the post 9/11 world in which we now live."The Visitor" plays like a delicately calibrated piece of music, with each element falling seamlessly into place to achieve its overall effect. McCarthy's direction is sinewy and lyrical, while Oliver Bokelberg's cinematography bathes the film in a warmly lit, hue-filled glow. The movie also captivates us with its view of an eclectic, multi-cultural urban landscape - one filled with the sights and sounds of a city alive to the possibility of human harmony and achievement in all its myriad diversity and richness.Beyond being a superb human drama in its own right, "The Visitor" is also quite possibly the most artful and moving film about immigration to have come our way since "El Norte" - and every bit as remarkable.
The Visitor
posted on 14 Jun 2009The Visitor strings together unlikely events in the lives of a professor and his visitors. Remarkably sincere and touching, the unimaginable events feel natural.Awkward Connecticut economics professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has essentially checked out from his job, his personality and his life. Walter is forced by circumstance to return to his abandoned New York City apartment. When he returns he meets Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira), who have taken up unauthorized residence in his apartment. Tarek and Zainab teach Walter to live again, to come out of his shell and remind him how unfair life can be.Writer and director Thomas McCarthy wrote all of the characters in The Visitor with almost contradictory personality attributes which gives them each a complex humanity.McCarthy wrote Walter Vale painfully dull and bumbling but it was Richard Jenkins who also makes Walter charming and heart breaking. In nearly every setting, Jenkins both makes the audience scrunch their faces at Walter's social inadequacies while simultaneously bringing out our Florence Nightingale instincts. As Walter changes in the course The Visitor, Jenkins keeps the essential qualities of Walter but changes him in surprising ways.The supporting cast isn't any less remarkable in The Visitor. There is a master of life, a vision of unabashed sadness and an embodiment of sensual motherly warmth. Haaz Sleiman, who plays Tarek, is (damn foxy) full of life as Tarek. His esprit fills Tarek, the audience, the other characters and actors with such vitality. Danai Jekesai Guria plays Zainab, Tarek's girlfriend. So much of Zainab is forlorn despondent dejection. Rich with beautiful hardness and unnaturally attractive pain, Danai Jekesai Guria made Zainab so hard to watch but impossible to pull your eyes away from. Hiam Abbass plays Mouna, Tarek's mother. Her fear is palpable but she never loses her intangible sensuality.The most remarkable part of The Visitor is the way it organically shows the way life can change un-expectantly, unfairly and without warning and does it with real, raw emotion. Just when you think you've figured out what the movie is about, you slapped with a new reality. It is frightening, timely and angering. Even the ending, which is not the typical movie ending, is emotive in a subtle and realistic way. I was not overwhelmed or underwhelmed by the movie, I was perfectly whelmed; a task indeed.The pacing is the one complaint I have with The Visitor. The editing could have been much better. There are beautiful scenes sometimes drawn out to boredom. Scenes that were the actors' timing is slightly off are only highlighted by the shoddy editing. The Visitor is an artsy movie but Tom McArdle checked out completely in a few of the scenes.Slow bits aside, The Visitor is a rewarding film with rich characters, beautiful acting and complexities that might make those people who are quick to tears, cry.
One of the very best films of the year
posted on 10 Jun 2009With "The Visitor," writer-director Tom McCarthy proves that "The Station Agent" (2003) was not beginner's luck, a fluke or anything of that ilk. McCarthy is an incredibly talented writer and filmmaker and with "The Visitor," he handles an important social issue with understatement, grace and honesty that make the story all the more compelling and trenchant.There's nothing preachy about McCarthy's tale - a widowed professor (Richard Jenkins) befriending two illegal immigrants in his New York apartment and slowly finding his quiet, rather uneventful life having a purpose.There are countless immigration stories to be told in this country. And there are countless ones post-9/11, when this government, aided by a complacent and terrified citizenry, decided to single out Muslims, Arabs or anyone who looked like one. We threw people in jail for the flimsiest reasons or no reason at all, deported hundreds, again for very little reason, and then insisted it had nothing to do with racial or ethnic profiling. It was to keep us safe. Poppycock!Just as McCarthy made Peter Dinklage a star in "The Station Agent," he has found the ideal role for veteran character actor Richard Jenkins. I have always been a fan of Jenkins' work. Take a look at him in "Flirting With Disaster" (1996), "North Country" (2007) or even the execrable comedy, "Rumor Has It..." (2005), and you'll realize this guy's a treasure.As Walter Vale, Jenkins grabs us from the initial moments of this film right to the very end. We understand his melancholy and appreciate and enjoy his transformation. You never, for even an instant, see Jenkins acting. McCarthy wrote the role for Jenkins and the actor completely becomes Walter without the slightest hint of a performance. It was what makes Jenkins' performance one of the most memorable of the year. It would be a real shame if he is not nominated for an Academy Award for this role.McCarthy clearly loves minimalist film-making and storytelling, The story is simple here, but it's packed with such immense emotion. There are wonderful touches peppered throughout the film. (Just watch how the wallpaper on Walter's computer changes.)The film really takes off when Walter meets Mouna (Hiam Abbass) and the man realizes he has yet another reason to live. Their moments together are so beautifully performed; there isn't a forced or false moment between the two. They can turn a mundane dinner into something rich and incredibly rewarding."The Visitor" could easily have been a preachy film riddled with sentimentality. But McCarthy avoids all those trappings. Every emotion in this movie is earned. He manages to indict our system without overtly showing how blatantly xenophobic this nation has become, thanks to a ridiculously ignorant and arrogant government.McCarthy's film raises a lot of questions and offers no easy answers. McCarthy also has the courage not to wrap everything up nicely in a red-white-and-blue ribbon. His film shows that people walk in and out of others' lives, sometimes making little difference, sometimes altering them completely. We may think we know where this film is headed, but McCarthy has a few surprises. And although there are some predictable moments (what film doesn't have them?), there is something immensely satisfying about watching this beautiful humanist drama unfold."The Visitor" is the kind of joyous movie-going experience that gives me faith in American independent cinema. Soon after World War II, there was Italian neo-realism. I know McCarthy's made just two movies, but I really wouldn't be surprised if, years from now, he is considered one of the pioneers of an American neo-realism movement, if you will.
A sad but yet a beautiful satisfying drama about undocumented aliens.
posted on 19 May 2009Thomas McCarthy Wrote & directed this drama. A few years back he gave us THE STATION AGENT,which was basically a comedy, THE VISITOR has very little comedy in it.It is a story of a lonely College Professor from Connecticut, who comes to New York City for a conference.It just so happens that a foreign couple are squatting in his apartment, we find out these 2 very nice people. The lad is from Syria & the young lady is from Senegal (Africa), & they are not here legally. When the lad is arrested ,(he did nothing wrong), His Mother who is living in Michigan,comes to find out why her son hasn't called in over a week.(he called Mama every day).These are all good fine people, they just happen not to be here legally.Our Professor helps them out best he can & learns much about the human condition.Richard Jenkins an actor of many years standing finally has a leading role & it is about time. He has won a few festival awards already for his superb performance, Let us hope he gets nominated for a few more. (Independent Spirit Award-- for one).The young couple are first timers to the silver screen. The are Haaz Sleiman & Danai Gurira, the both are excellent. The Mother is wonderfully portrayed by Hiam Abbas, (she has been featured in a few films). A few other roles are well assayed by Richard Kind & Marian Seldes.The film had a limited run in about 250 theatres & has made about 10 Million dollars so far. I do not think the film cost too much to make, I do hope it makes a good profit. this is the type film that should be seen.Even though the movie has no happy ending & that many questions we may have are unanswered.I for one do not need to no the answers as It is still a very worthwhile film to see, You may very well feel the same way. .this has a PG-13 rating mainly because of the mature plot, there is no violence,very mild language, no nudity, & no real sex scenes. This was filmed in New York City beautifully.RATINGS ****(out of 4) 97 points (out of 100) IMDb 10 out of 10)
Jenkins makes this small, low-drama character film shine
posted on 01 May 2009How do you not pity Richard Jenkins? He has "sorry SOB" written all over him and he uses it to much effect in "The Visitor." Although the film bases its drama around the immigration issue, it's a story about this poor widower named Walter Vale who has stopped caring about his job as a professor and has yet to restart his life, and how it all changes when he finds an immigrant couple living in his apartment."The Visitor" is a quiet film. It is straightforward and low drama 90% of the way through and everything happens as it should in reality. You think you can predict when things will turn in this film, but you're almost always wrong because clichés don't work when watching it.The only thing that could be considered cliché about the film is its use of an awkward, lonely protagonist and his unlikely relationship with the Assyrian man named Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) that he eventually invites to live with him. Their bond forms around music, specifically percussion. Walter's wife was a classical pianist, so he takes some interest in Tarek's djembe and his frigid life begins to free itself in the rhythms that push him out of his comfort zone.When Tarek runs into immigration trouble, the film starts to turn toward the dramatic as Tarek's mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass) arrives in New York out of concern for her son. She also begins to free Walter up, though in a far from cliché fashion. Even then, however, this film does its best when focusing on Walter. Jenkins is simply terrific. He's awkward, quiet, sweet and incredibly likable and he'll have your sympathy within the first five minutes. Creator Tom McCarthy, most known in Hollywood playing smaller roles -- including countless George Clooney films, follows up his directorial debut "The Station Agent" with something much more accessible to all audiences in "The Visitor" though the target demographic is distinctly older. His best work is done in quick sequence shots that have no dialog but reveal a lot about Walter. Many times days will go by instantly, but McCarthy will show you the important character-building moments: he understands what the most important part of his film is. Though the issue is very real, this is not standard drama, it's much more realistic.Hopefully the critical acclaim given to "The Visitor" will prompt McCarthy to create a film that will garner him the public attention he deserves as a director and writer. If not, there's certainly a need for plenty more little films like this one to surprise us with how poignant the mundane can be.
The Visitor is Rather Perplexing & Thought Provoking ***
posted on 27 Apr 2009If The Visitor were made in 2007, how come Richard Jenkins was nominated for best actor of 2008?This is a very unusual film with a subtle performance by Jenkins as a widowed college professor who befriends a couple staying in his Manhattan apartment. How did these people ever get the apartment? Did Jenkins know the person who rented the apartment to them.Jenkins, as Prof. Walter Vale, is a very dull, uncaring individual who has taught for 20 years. When he meets the foreign couple, he lets them stay in the apartment and he takes an interest in banging the drums.The film shifts gears when the male friend is arrested and it is determined that he is an illegal alien. The film concentrates on the harshness of the immigration service. Why not? 9/11 occurred, didn't it. There is a brief tinge of romance when the arrested youth's mother comes from Michigan to visit her son.The ending is a definite downer and Vale goes into the subway to bang on the drums. Is this out of frustration?
Visit this one indeed!
posted on 21 Apr 20092008 flick 'The Visitor' is a brave story, of a brave man, made in the most sensitive manner. The film's script it strong and on you-face types, the biggest strength of 'The Visitor' is that is vows to be different. A film that doesn't offer glamor, but pure ecstatic cinema. A winner all the way, in terms of its niche. Final words, Visit this one indeed! Pluses of the film: Bold script. Very-well directed. Performance by Richard Jenkins deserves an ovation. Words fail to describe the veterans performance. He's fantastic in each and every frame. His Oscar-nomination doesn't come as a surprise, him not winning comes as a surprise. Others are decent, but its Jenkins show all the way.Minuses: The film starts on a slow note.On the whole this Visitor, is surely welcomed.
Good for Political Correctness and Stereotyping
posted on 13 Apr 2009The Visitor is an ideal movie for those believe in the standard stereotypes "white middle aged Americans are bad", "Arabs and Africans are good".The film is slow, the acting too stiff, the dialogs silly and superfluous. Prospective audiences should not be fooled by the apparent 8 awards this movies got: all of them are unknown, underground awards, likely to be supported by liberal thinking.Undoubtedly, the US Immigration Service may be tough to deal with but this is the result of centuries of immigrant abuse. The movie, in fact, tries to exonerate those who do not respect the law. Both immigrants portrayed in this movie can hardly contribute to the real economy - to assume that by selling handicrafts and playing the drums they should be guaranteed immigration status is ridiculous. Although we all feel sorry for the misfortunes of some parts of the world (e.g., Middle East and Africa), that doesn't automatically mean that we should open our borders to everyone who would just like to jump ship.In the same way that some immigrants who can make a huge contribution to the country are turned down, many many many more are ripping the system of. I wonder whether any director will have the guts of producing a movie that shows that fact.
Nearly perfect
posted on 11 Apr 2009This was definitely one of the best films of 2008 and it is a crying shame that Richard Jenkins did not win best Oscar for it. It would have been thoroughly deserved - his acting subtleties and ability to convey emotion with the minimum of effort propels him into the top echelons of actors. He is an actor who proves that 'less' is definitely 'more'.There is an atmosphere of sadness and desperation throughout this film which is palpable. Aside from Jenkins, the warmth and affability, not to mention the credibility, of the other actors is beautifully realized and pulled off with effortless skill.But what I think is the best element of this movie is the ending. As it starts to wind up you start thinking 'yes, I can see exactly where this is going' but it doesn't go there. This is probably a great example of not showing a film to a test audience otherwise the ending would have been predictable and annoyingly obvious. There was something so powerful about the final scene in this film which leaves the viewer gob-smacked by its darkness and desperation. What an excellent film.
A heartbreaking and heartwarming movie
posted on 09 Apr 2009This was an incredible heartwarming and heart-breaking movie. Its power lies in its simplicity. In some ways its is a coming of age movie about a middle-aged professor coming to terms with his life and allowing himself to finally be who he is. Or perhaps a re-birthing movie in which, having died psychologically and spiritually, he emerges from his cocoon.A series of random events coincide to bring about a life-changing event (isn't that always the case?). The unfolding of the story occurs at a slow and steady (but never boring) pace that is in perfect keeping with the tone of the movie. It operates at many levels at once, presenting a comedy, drama, social statement and lesson, magnificently intertwined. Without much fanfare viewers are carried along quietly and unknowingly by the movie before realizing they are totally caught up in the depth and humanity of the story. The events opens up the main character as well as the audience's awareness of what is happening all around us in everyday life, of which few are aware and most of us prefer not to know about.What makes the movie what it is is the fact that it is not necessarily designed to make a specific point or manipulate the emotions of the audience or to provide an answer or ending to make folks feel one way or another. However these factors do emerge in the minds of viewers. This is why the movie have such an impact - a simple story, very well told, with no hidden agendas. Movie making at its best.
Prof. Jenkins, I presume...
posted on 07 Apr 2009Richard Jenkins is one of those typical "I know I've seen him somewhere" character actors: you remember his face, but hardly ever his name. Fans of the Coen brothers have seen him in The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty and the more recent Burn After Reading, while HBO aficionados certainly remember him as Nathaniel Fisher Sr. from the beautiful Six Feet Under. Thank Thomas McCarthy, then, for giving Jenkins the chance to shine in a leading role in The Visitor, which contains the actor's most quietly affecting work.The character is typical Jenkins: a widowed physics professor from Connecticut who doesn't really know if his life has a point anymore. Then, while in New York for a conference, Walter (that's his name) goes to his supposedly empty apartment and finds out it's occupied by a Syrian immigrant, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), and his girlfriend Zainab (Danai Gurira). Instead of kicking them out, Walter ends up befriending them, forming a particularly strong bond with Tarek, a musician who opens his eyes to a whole new world. Complications arise, however, when it is revealed that neither Tarek nor Zainab are legally allowed to stay in the country.In the wrong hands, the story could easily have become a heavily political piece, an immigration-related propaganda reel. McCarthy avoids these problems by focusing on the smaller moments - the glimpses of awkward, involuntary humor that derive from the strange connection between Walter and his guests. In that sense, Jenkins' role would have been equally good if played by Bill Murray, but there's an air of tragedy in the Six Feet Under actor's eyes that makes him the ideal (and in fact only) choice for the part. It is also thanks to him that the picture stays interesting in the second half, when the focus shifts to the more dramatic side of the tale and the film comes dangerously close to calling for automatic tears. Lucky for us, Jenkins and his co-stars are constantly measured, meaning that when the conclusion finally comes (the movie is a bit long for this kind of subject), it's a genuinely touching one, of the kind that leaves the viewer with the feeling he has just seen something special.
A touching film that gives us an insight into lives of those who are unfortunate in some ways yet fortunate in others
posted on 01 Apr 2009In what could possibly be one of the best films of the year,The Visitor does not fail to deliver strong performances and a good film to us,the paying audience.Richard Jenkins stars as Professor Walter Vale who befriends a young couple who are squatting in his apartment,Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his girlfriend,Zainab.Through this,they form a friendship which later involves Tarek's mother after a certain incident that occurs.Without spoiling anything,I think the film doesn't necessarily give us what we want but the truth in terms of everyday living.When it comes time to the Academy Awards in February 2009,it should get a couple of nominations including Best Actor-Richard Jenkins,Best Original Screenplay and Best Directing for Thomas McCarthy as well as even a possible Best Picture nod.Even though the cast wasn't a typical Hollywood one because it didn't boast any big names,it still performs just as good if not better than a standard Hollywood one.The number one standout performance in this film would have to be Richard Jenkins as he is perhaps best known to date for character roles rather than for a leading role such as this.Overall,a good job and a film to watch out for when it comes time for the Oscars.
Thomas McCarthy succeeds again!
posted on 14 Mar 2009It is a rare thing, this being absolutely blown away by a movie. Especially having been blown away by McCarthy's "The Station Agent" a few years ago.The movie's theme works on many levels: a distant and lonely professor - perfect casting in Richard Jenkins of "Six Feet Under" fame - slowly comes to life when he comes into contact with a supporting cast of a quality and talent matching his own: Hiam Abbass, Haaz Sleiman and Danai Jekesai Gurira.Walter Vale (Jenkins) is a widower who teaches economics at a Connecticut university and lives alone in a large Connecticut house. He lives a life of quiet desperation, he doesn't engage in social niceties, does not smile and is intolerant of his student's pleas for understanding. By default, he goes to New York to present a paper at a conference, only to find his apartment that he has kept unvisited since his wife died has been occupied by squatters, a young illegal immigrant couple. The slow awakening of Walter occurs when he decides to befriend and help the couple. Tarek (Sleiman), from Syria - a drummer, and Esi (Gurira), his partner who is from Senegal.Tarek gets arrested for jumping a stuck subway turnstile, even though he had paid. Tarek gets taken to a detention centre for an indefinite stay. And Walter gets passionately involved in activating for his release. Mouna,Tarek's mother (Abbass), arrives from Michigan and the slow love that develops between her and Walter is one of the best and most restrained portrayal of love I have ever seen on film.The movie serves to illustrate the post-9/11 immigration paranoia that exists in the US today, while at the same time showing how a previously detached and emotionless human in a materially comfortable existence can open up to love and friendship and re-ignite a slumbering lust for life.McCarthy wields a gentle but firm hand on the film and extracts incredible performances from all concerned. Not to be missed.One of the best of 2008.9 out of 10.
Simply excellent
posted on 14 Mar 2009The Visitor is an outstanding film. It's the first film in a long time where I found myself deeply caring for the characters in the movie. It has drama, sadness, kindness, love, happiness, romance, great music and even comedy all at once. Not many movies manages to combine all those genres successfully, but The Visitor does so in an extraordinary way. Richard Jenkins is Walter Wale, an aging college professor whose loneliness is obvious from early on. This makes me feel sorry for him at once, Jenkins portrays masterfully a man that is clearly tired of life. He works, he eats, he sleeps, all with the same tired sad look on his face, and that is that. Until one day, he has to go to New York for an academic conference. He finds that in his apartment in the Big Apple, a couple has moved in. This changes his life forever.One thing I noticed when I watched the feature, is that when Walters life changed for the better and I saw his first smile, I got genuinely happy. It is funny to see the white old man sitting in a public place playing the African drum, associated with young black men, and actually LOVING it. But we laugh with Walter and not at him. I also found myself almost praying for things to go well both for Walter and the visitors, like I said, I deeply cared for them all, and my eyes were constantly fixed on the screen.The movie had great performances not only from Jenkins, but also from especially Haaz Sleiman as Tarek. Danai Gurira and Hiam Abbass as Zainab and Mouna were both convincing too. Together with a fascinating, rich and very interesting plot all this made The Visitor on of the best films of 2008.
An Educational Film
posted on 14 Mar 2009This is a film made with a (good) purpose: to educate the American public that illegal emigrants are not all bad. Actually, probably most of them are not bad; they just want to have a better life in America. After 9/11 it is important to educate the average American that deporting all Muslims is not fair. The illegal immigrant Muslims in this movie do what illegal immigrants are supposed to do: play African drums and sell hand-made bracelets but it's alright, they are harmless. They are actually gorgeously looking and are very American in so many ways: they drink wine, adore the Phantom of the Opera, worship the statue of Liberty and have a deep regret the Twin Towers are gone. They even look down on Europe. If you are not a bigot, the film will not teach you anything new, but may bore you to death. Those who see a terrorist in every Muslim will likely not spend money on this film. They would rather rent a Rambo feature where evildoers with an accent are blown to pieces. Artistically, the film is your run-of-the-mill Hollywood tear jerker with a sugary romance (between a Jewish prof and a Palestinian beauty) thrown in for a good measure. I gave it 3 stars for its good intentions.
Uniformly excellent; one of the year's very best - Jenkins & Abbass deliver Oscar-worthy pers.!
posted on 02 Mar 2009THE VISITOR (2008) **** Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira, Hiam Abbass, Marian Seldes, Maggie Moore, Michael Cumpsty, Bill McHenry, Richard Kind, Tzahi Moskovitz. Absorbing and wonderful slice-of-life dramedy about a complacent widowed academic (character actor Jenkins in an Oscar-worthy turn; a career milestone) whose unexpected return to his apartment in NYC results in an unlikely friendship with two illegal immigrants currently squatting there (Sleiman and Gurira, both sublimely perfect) until one is arrested and facing deportation. Actor-turned-filmmaker Tom McCarthy wrote the tough and tender script and the role particularly for Jenkins and it is tailor-made for his mild-mannered burnt out professor who faces a sudden new – and promising- chapter in his life. Kudos also to the ethereal Abbass as Sleiman's mother and Jenkins' love-interest-to-be; she should also be considered for Best Supporting Actress. From beginning to end a treat and an unflinching look at how America treats its citizens – foreign and domestic. One of the year's best films.
Heartwarming, great acting and dare I say ..... lacking.....
posted on 24 Feb 2009Yes, an uplifting theme: life can change on a dime, often when we least expect it. Ninety-eight percent of us know this, many of us have experienced it and all of us have seen this theme in countless films. Nothing new and/or extraordinary here.INS Nuts and bolts. Many 'atop soap box' reviews spend major time castigating the 'epitome of EVIL' INS as a major theme of the film. Now to the flip side. There are no countries without immigration laws. Consider this young woman's web posting: My husband comes from a very poor African country. Even I, as his wife, cannot just move there and work there without knowledge and permission of the government there.Many say: See how the INS destroys the life of a talented,productive person (Tarek) in an instant and without warning? NOT! Truth in cinema be told the INS did NOT snap up Tarek without warning but rather some time earlier sent Tarek a letter explaining what they planned to do. None mention that when it comes to Tarek's current plight his mother Mouna points the finger of blame AT HERSELF for a very specific act on her part which directly set the stage for Tarek's detention.Tarek and Walter rage over the unfair INS laws. Yet, no one suggests the U.S. become the only country with open borders and no immigration laws.Tarek argues to Walter "I've done nothing wrong" at the same time his girlfriend tells Walter "I can't visit Tarek because we are here illegally." Clearly a disconnect.In the end, INS aside, the human stories and high caliber acting carry the film and warrant its near universal praise. It is heartening to view an uplifting life altering event and also disheartening to see the event so very quickly lead to utter sadness and great personal loss. And yet that is the slice of life delivered in this excellent indie production.
One of the years best!
posted on 13 Aug 2009I always judge movies by how much I want to be where the film is and know the people in it. This is one of those films. I wanted to be friends with these people and know them and live with them. Truly a film I did not want to end. Just like the writer/director's last film, The Station Agent, this film is populated by people you want to know...relationships you wish you had...in a place you wish you lived. Like a lot of "indie" films, this one ends with as many questions as answers, but then isn't life like that? Even when we wish it wasn't? I was surprised by how the basic plot was similar to The Station Agent in that the main character is someone who is unemotional and just wants to be left alone, but people come into his life that just won't let him, and he opens up to life's possibilities.