The Visitor (2007)

I must have heard of this movie before its suggestion via Netflix, because it got Richard Jenkins nominated for Best Actor, but I don't know him from anything else. Sometimes I think the Academy has lower standards for older actors' performances (he was 59-60 then). The only other halfway familiar name involved is Thomas McCarthy, who also directed The Station Agent and Win Win -- basically a go-to for quaint dramas.

Jenkins plays Walter, a rather withdrawn, curmudgeonly professor who grudgingly returns to his NYC apartment for business purposes. Imagine his surprise to find a young couple taking up residence there, Tarek from Syria and Zainab from Senegal. They had been tricked into thinking the rightful owner approved their stay for months. Walter gets them to move out but then realizes that they have no promising backup plan. In a setup vaguely reminiscent of The Goodbye Girl, he somewhat awkwardly shares the apartment with them. While Zainab never seems to welcome Walter's presence, Tarek finds a way to bond with him: djembe drumming, Tarek's main source of income. After a short lesson, Walter tries being a street musician himself, despite not fitting the usual demographics.

Sounds like a possible formula for a comedy, but the film rarely tries to be remotely funny. Especially when things change dramatically (literally) about halfway in.

One little slip, not even a genuine crime, gets Tarek arrested. Only then does Walter learn that Tarek and Zainab moved to the U.S. illegally. (To Tarek's credit, he did apply for refugee status, but the slow process exhausted his patience.) For obvious reasons, Zainab will not visit her boyfriend at the penitentiary, but Walter makes it his passion to do what little he can for Tarek. After weeks, Tarek's mom, Mouna, comes to town against his wishes in response to his lack of responses to her communiques. When Walter isn't out on his crusade, he acts so generous to Mouna that I get the impression of courtship, tho the circumstances would hardly foster romance.

As unlikely as the initial setup may appear, the story does aim for credibility. Thus, you can guess how it ends: with the hero's efforts in vain. Tarek gets deported, and Mouna leaves town, probably never to connect with Walter again. I wouldn't bet on Zainab doing so either. The one evidently lasting change in Walter's life is his continued use of the djembe.

For such a serious eventual focus, the film does little to make me feel strongly about anything in it. Perhaps that's because it does little, period. I wouldn't call it dull, but few details get much screen time, so I kept feeling like we get only the skeleton of a story. This may be an especially bad quality in light of a politically charged subject, as viewers aren't liable to change their minds one way or another (I can safely assume which way McCarthy had in mind) on the issues of illegal immigration and the handling thereof. We know the affected characters' personalities, histories, and current travails only so well.

If you want to view a soft-spoken "small" movie about a big problem without challenging your intellect, The Visitor might appeal to you. It certainly appeals to many who see it, judging from the 7.7 on IMDb. But I for one will probably skip the next McCarthy venture unless it promises a departure from the norm.