Everything hinges on the movements of an emotionally stifled college professor in Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor." But rather than make this a dull or overly internalized film, it is one of the year's most intriguing dramas, with a quartet of powerful performances.
At the head of the cast is Richard Jenkins, whose disillusioned and complex educator is brilliantly realized. You can't help but be uplifted as his carefully cocooned existence begins to unravel, and his emotions resurface.
Barely engaged in life or his job on a Connecticut campus since his wife's death, he is forced to present a paper at a conference in New York City.
In a surprising way, he meets a young immigrant couple, victims of a real estate scam. Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian musician, is so personable that even Walter is charmed. Tarek's Senegalese girlfriend (Danai Gurira) is slower to warm, but Walter soon forges an unlikely bond through music, specifically the African drums.
But 21st-century realities intrude when Tarek is arrested and thrown into a corporate-run detention center. With Zainab also undocumented and on the lam, it's up to Walter to become Tarek's sole lifeline against the Office of Homeland Security.
Walter's makeshift family comes to include Tarek's widowed mother (Hiam Abbass), another illegal alien, who arrives from Detroit. She's surprised to find a middle-age white man has hired an attorney to fight Tarek's deportation, and she forms an intense bond with Walter.
This is mostly a story of inter-relationships, with political undertones. It is no polemic, though it exposes the limits of U.S. immigration policy and compellingly examines the clash of cultures between Americans and foreign-born Muslims. But mostly, it delves poignantly into our commonality as human beings and touches our hearts.
"The Visitor" is a deeply moving and well-crafted story of redemption and reawakened passion that springs from a chance encounter. It is rated PG-13 for brief strong language. It has a running time of 103 minutes.
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Date and Time
Friday Aug 15, 2008 Tuesday Aug 19, 2008
August 15, 16, 18, and 19 at 7pm
Sunday, August 17 at 2pm
Location
Smith Opera House82 Seneca StGeneva, NY 14456
Fees/Admission
$5 general admission$3 students & senior citizens
Website
Contact Information
315-781-LIVE (5483) or toll-free 866-355-LIVE(5483)
