According to writer/director Thomas McCarthy, he wrote the script for “The Visitor” specifically for actor Richard Jenkins, who, though he may not have a recognizable name, definitely has a recognizable face. This must-see movie is about the journey one man takes to reconnect with the human race.
Walter Vale (Jenkins) has been sleepwalking through life since his wife died. He gets no pleasure in the classes he teaches at a Connecticut university nor in the hobbies he tries to learn. When he’s asked to present a paper at a conference in New York, he’s forced out of his safe but lonely existence. Upon entering his rarely used city apartment, he is startled to discover a couple living there. They had rented the apartment in good faith, but it seems that they were conned. After an awkward confrontation, Walter invites the couple, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira) who are in the US illegally, to stay until they find alternate living space. The gregarious Tarek befriends Walter and teaches him to play djembe, an African drum. After a misunderstanding, Tarek is arrested and held in detention in preparation for deportation. Walter feels compelled to do what he can to help Tarek even though he discovers he is fighting against a system that doesn’t care.
In “The Visitor,” music becomes a metaphor for the way people connect with each other. Walter had tried to take piano lessons because he wife was an accomplished concert pianist. As Walter becomes more adept with the djembe, he discovers passion in his life and as his friendship with Tarek flourishes, Walter realizes that life has meaning again. Jenkins certainly proves that he has the acting chops to carry a movie and it is a pleasure to watch Jenkins bring Walter back to life. Haaz Sleiman, whose experiences mirror those of the character he plays, moved from Lebanon to Michigan and then to New York to pursue a singing career before auditioning for McCarthy. “The Visitor” is certainly worth seeing. (4/2/08)
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