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The Visitor
By
Myles Hughes
Richard Jenkins gives
the first worthy Oscar nomination of the year in The Visitor
Every once in a while, you will come
across a film that grabs your attention and peaks your investment so
firmly within the first few minutes, that you can already tell this is
going to be an enjoyable experience from start to finish. And while not
every film can deliver on this early feeling, the experience is all the
more satisfying for those that can. I am pleased to report that The
Visitor is one such movie, one that keeps you completely invested in
the reawakening story of a lonely old man until the credits roll.
This is due in large part to the
commandingly assured, yet subtly understated performance of
character-actor Richard Jenkins, who you may remember from There’s
Something About Mary and Six Feet Under. Even when he’s
playing such an isolated sad sap for much of the film, Jenkins is an
absolute joy to watch. We feel his character’s struggle, his evolution,
and his happiness. He’s the kind of actor that makes you frustrated
whenever the camera is pointed away from him.
In this film, which marks his first
significant lead role (well earned, every step of the way), he plays
Walter Vale, a closeted, soft-spoken college professor who has been
half-heartedly attempting to learn piano as a sort of tribute to his
deceased wife. He is called to New York on a conference to present a
paper he “co-authored” (he actually never wrote a word). As he enters
his little-used apartment, he is surprised to discover an immigrant
couple that has been living there for several weeks. Turns out they are
victims of a housing scam, and once they discover that Walter owns the
place they agree to leave without making trouble. In an act of kindness
that likely surprises even him, Walter agrees to let them stay until
they can find a new place.
Though initially they stay out of each
other’s way, Walter eventually bonds with the Syrian Tarek (Haaz Sleiman,
warm and appealing) when they find a common interest in the African
drum. The sequences where Walter learns to loosen up and play the
instrument (as Tarek instructs him not to think too hard about it), and
later scenes where we progressively see his progress, particularly at
the very end, are among the best in the film. It brings a smile to one’s
face to see this sheltered old coot come out of his cocoon and liven up.
Unfortunately, Tarek and Zainab (Danai
Gurira), his girlfriend from Senegal, are not legal citizens, and soon
Tarek runs afoul of the law. A misunderstanding leads to his arrest. His
mother Mouna (a radiant Hiam Abbass), travels from Michigan to see her
son in the detention center where he is being held, but as she and
Zainab can’t go in for fear of their own arrest, Walter becomes his only
contact. He attempts to find Tarek a proper lawyer to save him from
deportation, and shares a short-lived but genuine almost-romance with
Mouna. At this point, and as with much of the movie, you can sort of see
where the plot is heading. The beauty of it is that the film can still
draw you in and get you invested in its characters, and it is to
writer/director Thomas McCarthy’s credit that the anti-immigration
policy message is not overt and comes second to the people who suffer
from it.
I would have to say that the most
frustrating thing about The Visitor is its release date. Jenkins
gives what could easily be a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination,
but the April release likely means it won’t last past the Indie Spirit
Awards. Oh well, enjoy it anyway.
****/****
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