For a 104-minute feature about a jaded, elderly man, The Visitor is neither mawkish, dated, nor as boring as one may at first expect. Instead, it’s thought provoking, refreshing and full of life.

62-year-old widowed college professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has lost interest in living. He goes through his daily routine like clockwork, whiting out the 6 in the 2006 syllabus for example, to keep it looking updated to the uninitiated.

But he’s not fooled. He confesses in a particularly poignant scene, “I haven’t done any real work in a very long time. I pretend, pretend that I’m busy, that I’m working. I’m not doing anything.”

When the college sends Walter to Manhattan, he returns to the barely used apartment that he keeps in the city and find it occupied by Syrian Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his girlfriend Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira). The migrant couple has taken up residence there without realising they have, in fact, been duped by their real estate agent. They offer to vacate the apartment when the truth is out, but in a surprising act of generosity, Walter allows them to stay on.

When Tarek is arrested for being an illegal immigrant, Walter, who has been taking African drum lessons from him, tries to intercede. He hires a lawyer and takes it upon himself to comfort Tarek’s distraught mother, Mouna (Hiam Abbass).

You find it incredulous that someone will go out of his way to do this for a stranger? Well, as the tagline in the movie poster goes, connection is everything.

While the film borders on the preachy side in its negative portrayal of the American government and its immigration policies, the human-interest angle and exploration of human connections that director Thomas McCarthy relentlessly pursues is what conquered the heart of this UrbanWire writer.

Much like his award-winning (at Sundance Film Festival, Aspen Film Fest) debut The Station Agent, the issues present themselves through delicate and revealing human interactions and connection. Movie-goers don’t see Tarek as a lowlife cheating the American government, but as a loving boyfriend, son and friend.

The movie also boasts a stellar cast. Jenkins, best known for his role in the series Six Feet Under and supporting role in Flirting with Disaster, puts on a compelling performance as usual in his role of Walter. He perfectly captures the essence of a reserved old man shedding his self-consciousness as he begins tapping on the foreign drums for the first time.

Likewise, newcomer Sleiman leaves quite an impression. He shifts effortlessly from his role as the effervescent, fun-loving musician to that of the frustrated detainee. In a scene which aptly captures his exasperation as he confronts Walter about his fate, audiences in the cinema were seen attempting to discreetly retrieve packet tissues from their bags.

Beautifully written and skillfully portrayed, The Visitor is a movie well-worth catching and spending time to appreciate. It celebrates America’s melting pot of cultures and recognises immigrants (legal or not) as unique individuals, each with riveting stories to tell.

UrbanWire gives The Visitor 3 out of 5 stars.

 

Movie details

Release date: Dec 11
Language: English
Rating: PG/Some Coarse Language
Genre: Drama
Starring: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Jekesai Gurira
Directed by: Thomas McCarthy

Pictures courtesy of Festive Films