The Visitor (2007)
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A lonely professor's life is transformed by a chance encounter with an immigrant couple in post-9/11 New York City.
The story
Walter Vale, a widowed economics professor living a solitary life in Manhattan, is forced to attend an academic conference at New York University. Upon returning to his apartment, he discovers a young unmarried couple, Tarek and Zainab, living there as illegal immigrants. Despite the circumstances, Walter decides to let them stay, and a friendship slowly develops between him and Tarek. However, when Tarek is arrested for a subway fare violation, Walter must hire an immigration lawyer to prevent his deportation, while Zainab moves out to live with relatives.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Walter Vale is a widowed Connecticut College economics professor who lives a solitary existence in Manhattan. While attending a conference at NYU, he returns to find Tarek, a Syrian djembe player, and Zainab, a Senegalese jewelry designer, living in his apartment as illegal immigrants. Walter allows them to stay, and he and Tarek form a bond, even joining a drum circle in Central Park. When Tarek is arrested for a subway fare violation, Walter hires a lawyer to prevent his deportation. Zainab moves to the Bronx, but Tarek's mother, Mouna, arrives from Michigan and stays with Walter. As they bond over shared meals and a domestic life, Walter confesses his own unfulfilling life. Mouna reveals her husband died in a Syrian prison. Despite Walter's efforts, Tarek is summarily deported to Syria. Mouna decides to follow him, choosing to return to Syria to be with her son. On their final night, Mouna and Walter share a comforting embrace. Walter, left alone again, plays his drum on a subway platform.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 103
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; French; Arabic; Romanian
- Directors
- Tom McCarthy
- Writers
- Tom McCarthy · writer
- Cast and characters
- Richard Jenkins · Walter Vale; Haaz Sleiman · Tarek; Danai Gurira · Zainab; Hiam Abbass · Mouna; Richard Kind · Jacob; Michael Cumpsty · Charles; Marian Seldes · Barbara; Amir Arison · Mr. Shah
- Genres
- drama; independent
- Themes
- identity; immigration; cross-cultural communication
- Tone and mood
- heartfelt; humanistic; sad; angry
- Premise and plot tags
- drama; illegal immigration; educators
- Reception
- The Visitor received mostly positive reviews from critics, described as a heartfelt, humanistic drama that explores identity and immigration. It was named best of the year by several publications including the Washington Post and the Charlotte Observer.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 89% · review count: 120; Metacritic · score: 79 · scale: 100 · review count: 29
- Awards and nominations
- Independent Spirit Award · Best Director · 2008 · won
- Production trivia
- The story began with the characters of Tarek and Walter.; The film was shot on location in New York City.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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