The Visitor (2007)

Professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has been on autopilot since his wife’s death. Walter exists; but nothing more. Returning to his New York apartment after an extended absence, he is surprised to find an immigrant couple squatting in his home. Tarek and Zainab interest him. Whether out of pity or boredom, Walter allows the couple to stay while he attends his required convention. Walter forges an unlikely friendship with Tarek, enchanted by his passion for life. But when Tarek is profiled and thrown into a detention center, Walter finds a passion unlike no other.

The Visitor is an unassuming independent film that you will either love or hate. Braving a very polarizing topic—illegal immigration—director Thomas McCarthy examines the relationship of Walter and Tarek without taking sides. Bravo McCarthy for achieving so much depth and emotion from the screenplay in 98 minutes.  The film takes sides, but Walter is there as the devil's advocate.

Richard Jenkins is phenomenal. His Walter Vale is an overwhelmingly sad man, but subtly so. He finds joy in nothing until Tarek and his African drum enter his life. Walter's evolution is beautiful thanks to this performance.

The bittersweet inevitability of The Visitor is the film’s crux. The viewer expects it, but any other resolution would cheapen the experience. As I see it, The Visitor is a quiet film that will ultimately call the viewer’s feeling will be called into question. Your response to that will determine the success of this film.