The Visitor

This was a great & very relevant film given the war on immigrants that continues to escalate in the US. Other themes of connection, purpose & human kindness were also beautifully played out. Excellent cast - Highly recommend

Enjoyed this film so much. Nice story of genuine friendships and kindness. If your looking for violence…this isn’t it.

ILL START by saying this is a highly negative review. Don't take offense unless your guilty of this same ignorance shown at the very end.I thought this was going so well and it had me really lingering on how it showed love and I thought I'd guessed the ending because it specifically is made to lead you to believe it is a heartfelt story about love and humanity and doing the right thing for people you do not know and have only taken to became but makes no sense to be so shallow not to know that we are all the same and helping another human being for all the right reasons just need help in a real world situation and that's a sign maybe to take away from the money's that we are all the same and that no one should be treated any different----but the end was upsetting and made me pretty angry how just got when you think the US Citizen will do something to disallow imagration to deport 2 lovely people who had lived in the US for decades for absolutely no reason at all and ( the reason they seem to think it's valid it rediculous and so minor it's got to have been put into place by an evil person) but the US sends them back to their country of origin. Before that this man hires a lawyer who also had me believe he to was kind of rebel a person who would take on cases to fight for human rights and truly help people who needed representation for this same issue, but you never see him again. I thought I would but no. The man who seemed to have a goal to rescue these two was not aggresivein his actions. Except for one singular moment when he goes to visit the young man in the imagration detaining jail. He is so calm I honestly was taken in by that and that it was depicting how this system is garbage lacking and lazy but it was him that goes on about his life as if it never happened playing a drink as if to show solidarity. IT MADE ME SICK TO MY STOMACH. I PLAN TO WRITE TO THE PRODUCER. And Amazon should not be selling it or offer it in any way whatsoeverI THINK IT'S FILMS LIKE THIS THAT CAN ONLY ADD TO THE HATRED IN THE US TOWARDS ANYONE WHO COMES TO THE US FOR THE UNREAL RUMOR THAT THIS COUNTY "USES" AS TO DESCRIBE ITSELF THAT IT WELCOMES ALL AND YOU'LL BE FREE HERE. THE SCRUTINY IS AN UNDERLYING FACT AND ITS PAINFUL TO WATCH PEOPLE TRY AN TRY AGAIN. IT MAY BE A SAFER PLACE TO LIVE BUT IF UT TRULY WAS FREE FIRST OF ALL THIS MOVIE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN MADE AND THAT'S OKAY WITH ME. I ONLY RECOGNIZE ONE ACTOR THAT WOULD NEED THE BEAUTIFUL WOMAN WHO PLAYS THE MOTHER IF A YOU'VE MAN AREESTED FOR HOPPING OVER A TURNSTILE BECAUSE HIS DRUM INSTRUMENT BAG was STUCK BUT THE US WHITE MAN HES BEFRIENDED AND CAME TO CARE FOR THIS YOUNG MAN BECAUSE THAT FRIENDSHIP OPENED A WORLD THIS MAN HAD NEVER FELT BEFORE. HE PAYS BY SWIPING HIS RAIL CARD TWICE ONCE FOR HIMSELF AND ONCE FOR THIS YOUNG MAN. NOT A SECOND GOES BY AND HES ARRESTED BY 4 LARGE MEN IMAGRATION OFFICERS WITH GUNS ON THE UNDERGROUND RAIL PLATFORM. THAT ALONE WAS GROSS. AND I'M SORRY TO SAY IF WE THE U.S. DID TRULY OPEN OUR DOOR AND HEARTS TO WELCOME ANYONE HERE FROM ANYWHERE THERE WOULD BE NO WALLS AND IMAGRATION WOULD BE RETITLED "IMAGREATFUL YOU HAVE COME"DON'T WATCH IT UNLESS TO WANT TO BE HEARTBROKEN AT THE VERY VERY END. ITS LESS THAN A MIN TO THE END AND TOO BELIEVE THIS MAN WILL GO AFTER HER TO JOIN HER FIGHT IN THE COUNTRY WHERE SHE WAS BORN TO COME BACK TO THE US AND LIVE WITHOUT FEAR BUT NO HE WATCHED HER GET ON THE PLANE TO FOLLOW HER INNOCENT SON WHO'S BEEN DEPORTED. IM EMBARRASSED EMBARRASSED TO HAVE WATCHED IT AND BE LED IN A DIRECTION THAT HAD ME THINKING IT'S A STORY SHOWING LOVE AN THE COMPILICATIONS OF US IMAGRATION TRAGIC OLD OUTDATED TIRED UNFAIR PRACTICE'S AND IF YOU ARE AS UPSET ABOUT IT AS I AM WRITE A REVIEW, SEND A LETTER OR TWO TO PRODUCERS ,TO THE ACTORS, THE DIRECTOR ETC. ,AMAZON AND SPONSORS IF ANY, AND LET THEM KNOW THAT THIS IS A RACIST MOVIE AND HOW IT SHOULD NOT HAD EVER BEEN MADE..YOU WON'T HAVE TO WATCH IT AFTER READING MY REVIEW IT GIVES THE STORY AWAY BUT I COULDN'T HAVE EXPLAINED MY DISAPPOINTMENT ANY OTHER WAY. SO DON'T BOTHER HAVING TISSUE NEARBY IN CASE YOU CRY OUT OF THE LOVE SHOWN HERE. ITS A TRICK AND SHOWS JUST THE OPPOSITE IF ANYTHING YOULL CRY FOR THIS MAN'S SELFISH INABILITY TO TRY TO FIGHT FOR THEM. OR FOLLOW THEM OUT OF THE LOVE HE FOUND.I HOPE SOMEONE CONNECTED TO THIS FILM READS THIS AND TELLS ME I'M WRONG OR MISUNDERSTOOD AND EXPLAINS WHAT I DON'T SEE OR MISSED THAT IS THE TRUE GOOD MESSAGE. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S LIKELY.IF I MISSED SOMETHING AND I AM CORRECTED I WOULD HAPPILY REWATCH AND CHANGE MY REVIEW.

The plot of this film though basic is serious and through its simplicity we get a deep character study into the lives of four characters. We also get left with many questions about our country and its systems. The film does not wrap itself up in a pretty bow with a happy ending. The ending is actually open ended with much food for thought for the viewer.The weight of the movie weighs on the shoulders of Richard Jenkins who portrays Walter, a widowed college professor who lives in the country but also holds an apartment in New York City. When he visits New York he finds two homeless illigal aliens haven been living in his apartment. They thought that the apartment had been rented to them and had no idea it was owned by Walter. All reaction to this situation is very believable and Walter ends up letting the couple stay with him. He forms a bond with them, especially with Syrian musician Tarek, and seems to find a newfound emotional release through them. A simple mishap leads to Tarek being arrested by the immigration authorities and he is threatened with deportation. The story proceeds as his mother comes to New York and stays with Walter. A special bonds is formed between these two as well.The acting here is superb from the entire cast and through the simple story the viewers heart will be broken and many issues will be raised. These are not generic characters. Richard Jenkins gives a slowly simmering emotional performance of perfection and Haaz Sleiman as Tarek matches him scene for scene. This is a film that raises issues about our countries laws regarding illegal aliens in the country and especially the strict changes made after 9/11. This is a deep, emotional drama realistically told. There are no overboard plot twists. Instead we have what could be a real life situation told through the emotions and actions of the characters. This film touched me deeply and I had to own it for repeated viewing. Deep character studies well done are hard to come by. This one is superb. I also purchased the blu ray which adds much to the story with its vivid and realistic visual presentation. Though mostly a dialogue driven movie the sound provided is superb. I highly recommend this film. It raises many issues and thoughts through its well done story, superb acting and directing and realistic stance.

Wonderful film but dumb DVD: no subtitles for the other languages spoken. If this had been intended by the filmmaker, as it was intended, say, by Powell and Pressburger in their films, then the film wouldn't have been released in other countries with translations of everything spoken, not just English. I have the Dutch version, however, and all languages are translated: the only way I can find out what is being said at these moments (because I can get by in Dutch). Ridiculous that we should miss chunks of a great movie in this way.

I liked this film a lot, from the Edward Hopper based design of the film, the spare dialogue where the least amount that was said explained everything and characters talking over each other was rare, the lack of expeletives (none as far as I remember, the only other film as clean in dialogue was 'The Straight Story') and the obvious sense of compassion for others. Add to that a lot classical music and you have a film for grown ups. I gather it was Oscar nominated, that would not surprise me, when there are awards to be had studios and production companies can rise to the carrot of longer term reward rather than hit the public over the head with over processed and poorly told stories. I wish there were more films like this.

The film is not at all what I expected; it is an American film on a difficult subject - immigration/assimilation- which avoids the usual cliches. Indeed, it owes more to French films I think. The hero is a middle-class professor who fulfils one of the key rules of French films - he is effectively free from financial or commercial concerns. His encounters with the world of Syrian and Senegalese immigrants, and his possible escape from the dead world that has surrounded him since his wife's death are cleverly done without the need for the Disney ending. The film has a few sideways glances at America's view of immigrants but without getting itself in a tizzy. The film is about individual reactions to individuals. Its ending is both believable and affecting without being saccarine. Excellent playing by everyone.

I bought this as I've just started playing Djembe and a video on Youtube mentioned it. It was going cheap on an Amazon shop, so I thought why not?I was pleasantly surprised. The film drew me in, very topical now in Europe, even if this is 90's USA, but you get the analogy when you start watching it and can see the UK going that way, if it hasn't already.Not all that much djembe playing in it however, in fact hardly any at all, but the rest makes up for it. One of those thought provoking movies that makes you rethink of your own life and how little we know about what really goes on.

Really different, thought provoking and touching film with some great music.I love the idea that someone who's very insular can make a chance connection with another person or people that enriches their life.This is a moving film but NOT A WEEPY so don't be put off. I was so lost in it that I can't really remember if it was funny in places or not. Starts slow but quickly gathers pace and has brilliant characters and 100% believable dialogue and story line. Ending was jaw dropping and I found myself thinking about it long after I'd finished watching. I've also seen The Station Agent which has a similar style. Very cool. Wish I'd seen it at the cinema.