"The Visitor" Movie Review

"The Visitor," is a movie about a white man named "Walter Vale," played by Richard Jenkins that lives in Conneticut as a college professor and writer. He lives his days pretending to be satisfied with the life he use to love when his wife was alive. In all actuality hes depressed and has no meaning to his life and no one to share it with. Despite his lack of spontaneity he tries occupying his dull lifestyle by learning to play the piano to keep the memory of his wife, and keeping a love for classical music close to him. Then he's forced to go to a conference in New York, and returns to his abondoned apartment. There he finds a young man Tarek Khalil and woman Zainab, a couple from Africa that have been living there. Walter finds it in his heart to allow them to stay in the apartment, but as Walter gets to know Tarek they bond a friendship and share Tareks love for music and the drum that brings Walter back to life again. Then Tarek gets arrested in the subway and Walter finds out that both he and Zainab are illegal immigrants. Walter then devotes himself to helping Tarek, Zainab, and Mouna (Tareks mother) who Walter invites to stay after she stops by the apartment looking for Tarek.

The movies setting was this time period and was mostly in New York after 9-11. It represented present day very well and was realistic as well as believable. For a movie that was mostly filmed in two locations it didn't lack presence or appeal. It kept my attention because the actors were nothing less than true to their roles by expressing every emotion possibly felt by their characters.

This was a great movie about compassion, and humanity. I like it because it was about moving forward and bettering life without forgetting who you are and where you come from. In many parts of this movie it shows acceptance of culture, and gaining personal acceptance of who you are and passion. The random connection between these four characters is heart warming and different from most movies to day. Four people from different backgrounds but similar personalities and different backgrounds can bond as friends and care for eachother as family. As each character was proud, stubborn, and unsure of the other learned to trust, love, and care for a someone different from their own.

It touched alot on the prejudice and treatment of immigrants that come to America to find make a life and have a better living for themselves and their families. Tarek was just a musician from Syria that wanted to come to NY to make money playing his music, and Zainab was an artist from Senegal who wanted to make and sell her own jewelry. It showed how young aspiring people like them have to suffer for the actions of others from their country, but in this the country of the free Tarek the young muscian full of life and spirit was broken by the government and country for which he wanted nothing, but acceptance.

This is a heart warming film that will make you smile from the inside out.