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SYNOPSIS: A
college professor becomes embroiled in the lives of a young
immigrant couple living in New York City and stumbles into
an unexpected romance as a result. As these strangers struggle
to deal with their individual lives in a changed world, their
shared humanity is revealed in awkward, humourous and dramatic
ways.
MOVIE
REVIEW:
"The Visitor" is a film about connection, or the lack thereof, and the circumstances under which we form connections with people. Its lead character is one Prof Walter Vale, an economics professor whose wife has passed away and son has moved to London. Not of his own volition, Walter is now a recluse whose life is no more than a monotony of routine. But that changes when Walter reluctantly goes to New York to present a paper he co-authored at a conference and ends up meeting Tarek and Zainab, two immigrants living in Walter's apartment he has left vacant for many years.
Just as circumstance has cut him off from humanity and from life itself, it will also restore the connections Walter has lost over the years. In "The Visitor", writer/director Thomas McCarthy has crafted an acutely observed tale whose greatest achievement is how multi-layered it actually is. On its surface, McCarthy's film is simply one of friendship and companionship even- Walter and Tarek bonding over djembe lessons, Tarek teaching Walter how to play the West African drum he expertly plays in a jazz group.
But it is no coincidence that Tarek is a Muslim, and the film is set in post-9/11, as Tarek so points out by the absence of the Twin Towers as they take a boat ride across the Ellis River. There is no ambivalence on Walter's part to Tarek's religion, and the fact that their mutual respect is not explicitly communicated only exemplifies how unnecessary an illumination of the differences is. Appropriately so, the first half of the film is light in tone, allowing the connection between Walter and Tarek to develop ever so naturally.
Quite unexpectedly, McCarthy takes the movie in a different direction in the second half- Tarek gets arrested one day at the subway, is incarcerated in a windowless correctional facility and threatened with deportation. Because Tarek's mum and Zainab, his Senegalese girlfriend, are also illegally in the States, the only person allowed to visit is Walter, with whom Tarek exchanges letters and shares his anxieties and frustrations. Through these exchanges, McCarthy also takes a humanistic perspective to critically examine America's immigration policies that have become especially xenophobic after 9/11.
McCarthy's point is this- shouldn't America treat its immigrants better considering the contributions they have made to the country? Shouldn't America recognise these individuals for the people they are rather than the nation or religion they hail from? Though his view will certainly have its critics, McCarthy makes a more than persuasive argument through the travails of a person who wanted nothing more than a right to live his dream in the "Land of Dreams".
However, McCarthy's film would not be what it is without the excellent, Oscar-worthy performance of character actor Richard Jenkins. Jenkins has long been cast in thankless supporting roles, but it is through his nuanced portrayal of Walter Vale here that he truly displays his gifts as an actor in a leading role. Through Jenkins, the audience is led to feel Walter's solitude, his closeness with Tarek, his subsequent frustration and lastly, his inevitable resignation.
The title "The Visitor" is therefore both an allusion to Tarek's status in the States, as well as the nature of his coming and going in Walter's life. This is also a movie that deserves to be seen, for it is a deeply moving portrait of the connections we form with the people around us. Most of all, it is an apt reminder that our lives are defined by the people we know and the people whose lives we have touched by our own.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
NIL.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio does a fine job bringing out the strong drum beats in the movie. Image is clear and sharp.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Gabriel Chong
Posted on 26 April 2010
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