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The Visitor (2007)

Director: Tom McCarthy

Time Out rating

Average user rating

5 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

Thomas McCarthy’s belated follow up to his low-key 2003 indie gem ‘The Station Agent’ takes as its inspiration the lives of illegal immigrants in America, creating a stark, pointedly political character drama.

The initial setup reminds us of McCarthy’s earlier film: another lonely misanthrope – in this case Richard Jenkins’s disheartened economics professor Walter Vale – is forced into contact with other human beings, and finds himself opening up in the process. Here the intruders are immigrant couple Tarek and Zainab, who have been illegally squatting in Walter’s New York apartment, and with whom he begins a tentative, wary friendship. But when Tarek is arrested by Homeland Security officers and banged up in a grim, urban repatriation facility, Walter is forced to make a choice: abandon Tarek to his fate, or step up and get involved. The arrival on the scene of Tarek’s beautiful, widowed mother only adds another layer of emotional complexity to Walter’s already tangled situation.

The character work in ‘The Visitor’ is admittedly lovely: there are moments of conflict, tenderness and intimate self-discovery that hint at real depths in the figures on screen. But McCarthy’s political story is far less convincing. Implausibly warm and logically fuzzy, his treatment of his immigrant protagonists smacks of crude political correctness. These figures are essentially perfect: polite, fun-loving and affectionate, model citizens pitted against a faceless, repressive state. While elements of this may ring true, it feels distinctly underwhelming as drama, drowning McCarthy’s subtle, searching dialogue and incisive, humanist character development in a morass of right thinking, left-leaning platitudes.

Author: Tom Huddleston

Time Out London Issue 1976, July 3 - 9 2008

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User reviews of this film

alessandra said...

Posted on Jan 02 2009 11:27 What a great film with first class performances, especially from Richard Jenkins. Intelligent, moving and relevant!

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John said...

Posted on Aug 01 2008 18:43 A terrific film.The Time Out review above is quite mistaken in separating performances from story - it all hangs together perfectly successfully and convincingly.His final dig at 'right thinking,left-leaning platitudes ' is cynical nonsense.What we see is an effective and affecting portrayal of concern for another.

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J.P. said...

Posted on Aug 01 2008 18:42 A terrific film.The Time Out review above is quite mistaken in separating performances from story - it all hangs together perfectly successfully and convincingly.His final dig at 'right thinking,left-leaning platitudes ' is cynical nonsense.What we see is an effective and affecting portrayal of concern for another

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gerard caron said...

Posted on Jul 29 2008 22:53 From the writer and director of The Station Agent, another low-keyed,quiet and subtle film that is both intellgent and moving - a rare accomplishment. Thomas McCarthy manages to deal with broader social issues through close inspection experiences of very "ordinary" people whose lives are changed profoundly as a consequence of chance encounters with others. The film's relevance to contemporary social issues (plight of immigrants in the US) is perceptive and powerful, yet the closely observed personal stories of the central characters add immediacy and emotional impact that would be missing from a mere "issues" film. As in The Station Agent, flawless performances and the director's deft touch with everyday lives make this film a rich experience. Don't miss it

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jane said...

Posted on Jul 19 2008 00:23 thought it was a great fri night film - sweet and moving

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