THE VISITOR
US. 2008.
Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbas.
Directed by Tom Mc Carthy
SHORT REVIEW
Invite The Visitor into Your Home
The Visitor is a gem of a film that deserves wide viewing. Some may find its subtle graciousness too slow, but others will find it richly rewarding
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Richard Jenkins’ marvelously understated performance as Walter Vale gives us a glimpse into the soul of a professor whose narrow life is pried open when he discovers an illegal immigrant couple living in his apartment. When Walter realizes they have nowhere to go, he invites them back. This unexpected act opens Walter to a life-changing relationship with his visitors, played by Haaz Sleiman and Danai Gurira. Writer/director Tom Mc Carthy weaves their compelling performances into a haunting story-tapestry.
Highly recommended.
LONG REVIEW
Invite The Visitor into Your Home
The Visitor is a little known gem of a film that deserves both greater viewership and its numerous awards, including an Oscar nomination for Richard Jenkins’ lead performance, and SIGNIS’ Interfaith Award at the Brisbane International Film Festival, 2008.
The Visitor is a subtle film that explores several life-changing weeks in the life of Walter Vale, played by Richard Jenkins. Walter is a professor whose rigid, narrow life is pried open when he discovers an illegal immigrant couple living in his New York City apartment. When Walter realizes that he has turned them out on the streets, he invites them back to stay the night. This single act of graciousness opens Walter to an unexpected friendship with his guest, musician Tarek Khalil (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian from Damascus, and his girl friend, Zainab (Danai Gurira) from Senegal.
Tom Mc Carthy has written and directed a well-crafted, layered gem that may feel too slow for some, but for many will be richly rewarding. Like the character of Walter himself, the film has a slow graciousness to it that allows us to enter the vulnerability of the characters, but without tiresome over-psychologizing. Mc Carthy weaves compelling, understated performances, subtle subtext, and Jan A.P. Kaczmarek’s evocative soundtrack into a haunting story-tapestry. But it is Richard Jenkins’ marvelous soul-revealing performance which crowns the film.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the film is its title. After I finished viewing it, I kept asking myself, “Who is The Visitor?” In many cultures, the visitor has a sacred importance. From the Jewish Scriptures, to Jesus’ words in the Gospel, to Tolstoy’s story Martin the Cobbler, how we encounter an unexpected visitor can be a turning point in our lives.
The most obvious “visitor” would be Tarek, who so freely shares his music with Walter, even when he is in danger of being torn away from his loved ones. But it could also be Mouna Khalil (Hiam Abbass), who relies on Walter’s hospitality so that she can be near her son. Or is it the paradoxical immigrant to the U.S., so necessary for bringing new energy to our complacent and decadent culture, but who is now so unwelcome? Perhaps it could even be Walter himself who, through his newfound friendships, becomes a visitor in the unfamiliar world of immigrating to the U.S.
Highly recommended for both its human and spiritual values, especially in its recognition of the human dignity and rights of immigrants.
CRITERIA FOR REVIEWING
The Secret Skill of a Film Reviewer
One secret prerequisite for the job of reviewing films is the ability to wear many hats.
As a screenwriter and video producer, when I review a film I have many “hats” I can choose to wear. Some of my most important hats are:
• the writer’s “safari hat,” which focuses on the journey of the protagonist(s) through the script, themes, subject, and context
• the director’s black baseball cap, focusing on story development, production values, and the overall impression the film will make (story, theme, lighting, camera work, performance, editing/pacing, sound and visual effects, etc.)
• the media literacy Sherlock Holmes deerstalker hat which helps me to investigate the filmmakers’ choices and to challenge uncritical assumptions
• a gold-buckled leprechaun hat, representing my own personal history and aesthetic taste
But probably the most important hat I wear is the veil which is part of my religious habit as a sister. My veil encompasses the perspectives of all my other hats, but specifically chooses faith as the context for my analysis. I look at the film as a cultural art form in dialogue with spiritual, theological, and moral values.
So, which “hat” do I wear when I sit down to watch a film? This may come as a surprise, but I try to take off all my hats at the beginning of every film. This is a conscious and deliberate choice. My first “job” as a viewer is to pay attention to the film itself, and it’s a courtesy I ask of those who view my work as well. I can’t and don’t want to divorce myself from my values, taste and history, but I can choose not to “arm myself” with a protective hat, so that I am able to see the film clearly for what it means to me.
It’s hard to keep my hats off if, after twenty minutes, I don’t find myself caught up in the film. Usually my lack of engagement indicates that the film is poorly done--formulaic, clichéd, or simply not credible. If the filmmakers have been careless or thoughtless in using the rich “language” of film, then I lose interest. But film is such a rich medium that even not-so-great filmmakers often get one or two dimensions down quite well. And it’s possible to gain insight from what a film lacks as well as what it “gets right.”
After I’ve seen a film, I try on all my hats, because each is valid and enriching. If I watch the film a second time, I’ll wear several hats at once or switch between them, paying close attention to how specific aspects of the film illustrate or bring out the overarching theme.
How the film reveals, uplifts, dismisses, or degrades the dignity of the human person is probably the most important single criteria I use. But I also have a specific list of foundational criteria that I look for. Every film I recommend must:
• possess outstanding technical and artistic quality (or at least competent) that strives for integrity
• provide insight into the mystery of the human experience, promote the dignity of the human person, witness to the giftedness of life, or affirm respect for family life
• open a window to the transcendent
• reinforce a Christian worldview (through the dramatic resolution of the story, not necessarily because characters are Christian)
• illustrate one or more Gospel values, such as faith, hope, love, redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation, justice, peace, etc.
Wearing my different hats as a communicator who enjoys both creating and consuming media, I recommend those films that, in the thought of Pope John Paul II, are a creative voice which speaks to humanity’s deepest longings.
BIOGRAPHY
Sister Marie Paul Curley, fsp, is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul whose mission is to communicate Christ through the media. A former video producer, Marie Paul currently dedicates her time to writing, screenwriting, and assisting young women to discern the call of God in their lives. Marie Paul hosts a monthly “Faith and Film Night” at the Pauline Book & Media Centre in Toronto, and occasionally reviews films for a Catholic audience and on her blog. She has a B.A. in communication from Emmanuel College, and is looking forward to the release of her fourth book in November, 2009.
