The Visitor
United States
2007
104 Min
Color
1.85:1
Arabic, French, English, Romanian
Synopsis
The Visitor is a simmering drama about a college professor and recent widower, Walter Vale, who discovers a pair of illegal aliens who were the victims of a real-estate scam living in his New York apartment. After the mix-up is resolved, Vale invites the couple—a young, Syrian musician named Tarek and his Senegalese girlfriend — to stay with him. An unlikely friendship develops and all goes well until Tarek is hauled in by immigration authorities. —IMDb
Director
Thomas McCarthy
Tom McCarthy’s first film, The Station Agent, won the dramatic Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, a BAFTA for best original screenplay, and two Independent Spirit Awards, including the John Cassavetes Award. The Visitor screened at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival, and was acclaimed one of the top 10 independent films of the year by the National Board of Review. The film earned McCarthy the Independent Spirit Award for best director. He is also an actor whose credits include Duplicity, The Lovely Bones, Good Night and Good Luck, Syriana and Meet the Parents. –Sundance Film Festival
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Omnimog
16Apr12
Just because this is good-feel doesn't automatically make it any good in my book. I find the directing, acting, editing, mostly anything about this film truly mediocre at best. The characters are the most unbelievable that I may have ever seen in any movie. Though one could wish the world to be like this and smile from the idea of it, the seriousness of the matters should not be taken this ridiculously lightly imo.
AKFilmFan
19Feb12
This life changing story turned post-9/11 message-laden film is a surprisingly great look at immigration and the good and bad of it. Great performances all around, especially Jenkins.
L.A.™ likes this
Øyvind Rype
27Apr11
The academic has finally come around to the conclusion that his life needs a meaningful direction after spending years of doing basically nothing. Initially it reminded me of About Schmidt - a coming-of-age story starring an adult. Unfortunately it took a different turn somewhere, heading towards the politcal post-9/11 / "white-guilt-for-treating-all-muslims-as-criminals" area. Just too much Haggis '04 over it.
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REVIEW of THE VISITOR
By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
Tom McCarthy’s The Visitor is an important piece of filmmaking, not because it offers remedy to the xenophobic climate dominant in the U.S.; but, because it doesn’t. It eschews cinema’s too-frequent indulgence
REVIEW of THE VISITOR
By Twitchfilm.net on July 17, 2010
Tom McCarthy’s The Visitor is an important piece of filmmaking, not because it offers remedy to the xenophobic climate dominant in the U.S.; but, because it doesn’t. It eschews cinema’s too-frequent indulgence
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Clichés hors des clichés
By hubertguillaud on April 21, 2010
Clichés hors des clichés – 09/07/2009
Le film de McCarthy pourrait être une jolie étude de caractère entre ce professeur d’université fatigué par la vie et ces émigrants clandestins ballotés… read review
Untitled
By jaredmobarak on June 9, 2009
When I first saw the trailer for the new film The Visitor I knew I wanted to see it solely on the basis that Richard Jenkins was going to be the star. I’ve loved this guy in everything he has done… read review
Untitled
By nallan on April 20, 2009
A look at how individuals can become alienated in our modern society as well as an insight into the immigrant experience in the US. A really great movie, thanks in large part to the amazing performance… read review
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