The Visitor (2007)

The Visitor

Call No: PC 3081

Up until a few years ago, I only ever watched the typical Hollywood type movies. It was both by choice and by interest – I was only ever exposed to Hollywood trailers, and they were more easily accessible. Over the last few years, I’ve been watching more independent, foreign and little known films. When I get tired of the typical clichés that are so frequently used in popular films, I find these types of films to be a breath of fresh air. Watching The Visitor was very much like that. It was something akin to enjoying a cup of hot tea after a busy day – calm, soothing and reflective.

The Visitor is the story of Walter Vale, a Connecticut professor whose life is a product of routines and disinterests. When he’s forced to return to New York for a conference, his quiet and boring life is shaken by the two illegal immigrants he finds living in his apartment. Feeling bad for Tarek and Zainab, that have been conned into renting the occupied but rarely used apartment, Walter invites them to stay. The three become friends, but it isn’t long before Walter’s newfound friendships are threatened when Tarek is wrongfully arrested, bringing his status to light.

The film is quietly brilliant. What I mean by this is that it doesn’t play to the typical clichés so popular in Hollywood films. It doesn’t draw a lot of attention to itself with big name actors or overwritten dramatic scenes with a loud, sweeping musical score. It is quiet and subtle. We’ve become so used to learning about characters through extensive dialogue or obvious attention grabbing shots. The scenes are more subtle here. The film feels more intimate, casually showing us glimpses of a lonely life that is slowly changing.

The power of rhythm creates a strong bond for Walter and Tarek

Walter Vale is an interesting character study. When we meet him in the beginning, he is quiet and reserved. Although he lectures at the local college, he doesn’t like to do anything outside of his comfort zone. When he is asked to present a paper he helped to write at a conference, he doesn’t want to go. He is disinterested in everything. Even when he finds Tarek and Zainab living in his apartment, he doesn’t really react – Tarek is the one who insists that there’s been a mistake and that they should leave. When he invites them to stay, it isn’t done with a big smile. Walter is an awkward and timid man, but Richard Jenkins’s performance makes Walter more endearing rather than uncomfortable.  Soon we come to know the man that he used to be and the changes that have made him this way, and we begin to root for him as a result.

While the ending might not be as satisfying as some might think, I enjoyed it. Not conforming itself to typical clichés is part of the film’s charm. The ending holds to this. It has a beautiful final scene that closes the film nicely and allows you to create your own additions to the ending after the fade out. It is modest and subtle, the equivalent of a warm drink on a cold Sunday afternoon.