I just saw a wonderful film called “The Visitor.” My advice to all is: RUN to see this movie. It’s been released for ages so God knows how much longer it will be around. It gives us a very simple but strong peak into many issues: immigration and the cut and dried bureaucracy of the law. It shows us the how someone who has never had to consider encroachment or disregard of their right’s, feelings or humanity – deals with those very issues when he has to watch it thrust upon a good person firsthand. And we get to witness the outrage and helplessness he (and we the audience) feels when he/we realizes there is nothing he can do about it. We also see true devotion, the blossoming of love, the rekindling of a life spark .
The premise is that our hero “Walter” (actor Richard Jenkins – the ghost dad from the series Six Feet Under) is a middle aged college professor in Connecticut. His career as a scholar has dwindled down to one class a week (students are bored, teaching has become rote for him) so that he can “write his book” which we get an early hint has been in the “works” for ages – almost as long as he’s been away from his Manhatten apartment to which he goes to crash whilst presenting a paper at a conference in NYC.
The fun begins when he walks in the door. He hasn’t been there for ages which was the perfect set up for some crook to rent it out to an immigrant couple Tarek (from Syria) and his girlfriend Zainab (from Senegal.) The surprise entry of the rightful owner of the place leads to the expected hysterics but then Walter ( such a decent man and bored to death) lets them stay until they can find a place.
Friendship ensues and Tarek’s passion/occupation is African drumming and his subsequent gentle coaching when Walter expresses an interest – opens Walter’s inner heart and metronome. Watching this man start to feel the rhythmn is a thing to behold… almost painful to watch but in your heart of hearts, you want him to feel it and he does. Sounds kind of hoaky? Trust me… it ain’t. I would like to add here that Tarek (actor Haaz Sleiman is fucking hot and I kept thinking – I would do him in a minute) His girlfriend is a bit slower to warm up (beeyatch) but Walter’s sincere goodness and decency wins her over.
Then trouble comes a knockin… Tarek gets arrested (big misunderstanding) and New York’s finest isn’t too nice about it. You feel how Walter is frightened and shocked by the brutality in which the police approach Tarek. Walter’s respectable demeanor and rich white man’s outer appearance doesn’t make them back down even as he tries to tell them that “he didn’t do anything!!” The cop says – strongly & menacingly- “stand back sir…or you’re going with him!” I know if Walter had been Black or Hispanic or some other man of color… he would have been hauled in with out the warning.
Turns out that Tarek has an illegal alien status (and his girlfriend too) and he is sent to a detention center where we wait to see if he will be moved without notice, released or deported back to Syria, Tarek is very close to his lovely mother who comes to NYC from Michigan when she goes five days with out hearing from him. Yet another spark of life for our hero, cause she is just gorgeous. There is a very funny scene when Walter takes her to meet Zainab and she remarks with surprise about how “black” Zainab is. Sorry for the long review but this one was a beauty!!
Check it out!!
P. S. I was so thrilled when I walked into the theater. I was alone!! Ahhh… then a couple bursts in – yakking away.
Me: [to myself] “Oh please God don’t let them sit near me!”
Of course they sit directly behind me!! It was just the three of us in the entire theater!! WTF!!!!!
Well, brotha man and his consort proceed to yak all thru the movie. At one point he asks if she wants more popcorn and he goes out and returns – during the movie. He is just mumbling away throughout the film it’s as if he has Tourette’s Syndrome. Every time any character would do anything, he would respond out loud what he was thinking:
Walter opens the door and we see Tarek’s mother for the first time. We see how lovely she is, we sense his admiration.
Fool behind me: Love at first sight
& his woman: You know they gonna fuck.
To myself: God help me
Then – silence!!! He stopped talking!!
But then… what’s that I hear? ZZZZ – SNORING!! You got to be fucking kidding me!!!
OY!!
See TRAILER BELOW!!
