2.5/4  The Visitor Quick Review
Off-putting, but genuinely effective experimental film that breaks rules of taboo; funny, deeply disturbing and ultimately unique if anything. Not for the faint of heart. Final Grade: B-

3/4  The Visitor Quick Review
If you can get past the incest, drug use, random violence, necrophilia and abundant lactating what you'll find is a family coming together - albeit in a very twisted, disturbing way. If you have an open mind, watch and be amazed.

5/5 The Visitor
  by Caroline J. Snyder (Chicago, IL)
Great Movie that will make you think about immigration. Great film to show high school students and challenge them on their stereotypes of middle eastern immigrants.

4/5 Todd McCarthy's The Visitor Is Emotionally Resonating & A Brilliant Sophomore Directing Effort
  by Kaya Savas (Bethesda, MD USA)
The Visitor follows the journey of recent widower and college professor, Walter Vale as he lives his empty and hollow life. He visits his New York City apartment to find that two illegal immigrants have taken refuge there. From that point on the film follows their ever growing friendship as Walter slowly learns to open himself back up to the world and let the wonders of life carry him. The film itself is incredibly well layed out and the characters all fully developed. McCarthy is an actor turned director and that is usually cause for concern, but when I saw his first film, The Station Agent I knew that he was a fully capable storyteller.

Jenkins is an amazing character actor and portrays Walter as a very reserved and closed off person who has basically shut himself off from the world after losing his wife. Tarek who is one of the immigrants is a very skilled drum player, and through music is how Walter learns to become expressive again. He learns to play the drum through Tarek and music becomes his vessel of emotion. If you've seen McCarthy's previous film you will see the recurring theme of isolation and acceptance. That comes to play when his friend Tarek is asked for an ID and doesn't have one and is thus sent to the department of immigration.

The film plays out and the conclusion is emotionally stirring. If I had to say one thing negative about the story is that the ending is left a bit open ended and to me does not fully conclude Walter's story, but that's just nitpicking. It holds well on its own without getting too preachy about the subject of illegal immigration, which is good. Movies that end up trying to sell a cause versus a story usually don't have a satisfying effect on me, but this one did. Highly recommended especially if you've seen The Station Agent.

5/5 Extraordinary, One of the Best Films of the Year!
  by Benjamin J Burgraff (Las Vegas)
Writer/Director Thomas McCarthy's "The Visitor" is so perfect a viewing experience, and works at so many levels, that I simply can't do it justice! A story of the healing power of music, of the renewal of the spirit, of the loyalty of family and friends, set against a backdrop of an indifferent immigration process...this is truly an exceptional film in every way, and should be at the top of your 'must have' list of films.

The cast is very, very good, with Richard Jenkins' Oscar-nominated performance a standout. He plays Prof. Walter Vale, an Economics professor whose existence has been on autopilot since the death of his pianist wife. With little interest in anything, he drifts, living a life of "quiet desperation"...until, on an unwanted trip to Manhattan, he discovers Syrian Tarek Khalil and Senegalese Zainab (newcomers Haaz Sleiman and Danai Gurira) in residence at his apartment. While he accepts their apology and promise to leave, he sympathizes with their situation enough to give them a couple of days to move...and when he hears Tarek play an African drum, a bonding based on the unique sound reawakens the dormant spirit of Vale, and a friendship develops that gives his life new meaning....

But when Tarek is arrested, and it is revealed that he and Zainab are illegal aliens, Vale's rediscovered humanity will be tested against a system that simply doesn't care...and when he meets Tarek's mother, Mouna (Hiam Abbass, who is simply terrific), he faces a moral dilemma; does he stay on in Manhattan to do what he can to help, or do the 'proper' thing, and return to his mundane existance in Connecticut?

The film doesn't gloss over the issues, but deals with them on a personal level, in a completely believable fashion, and the frequent musical moments have a pulsating yet sublime quality that truly demonstrates the transcendental power of music. "The Visitor", despite it's moments of tragedy, is a celebration of what is best about life...friendship, and the discovery of new avenues to cleanse and renew our souls.

Simply superb!



4/5 Compelling Character-Driven Drama Starring Richard Jenkins
  by Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan)
First let me say I like Richard Jenkins and my review of "The Visitor" (2007) which brought him an Oscar nomination may be biased. But I am sure that without this veteran actor the film would be yet another well-intentioned but mediocre independent film. As it is, "The Visitor" is an intriguing drama and Richard Jenkins is very good as tired college professor Walter Vale who, in his own words, just "pretends."

A widowed college professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) currently living in Connecticut travels to New York City to attend an academic conference, which, it is obvious, he is not interested. To his great surprise, Walter finds two persons are living in his old apartment, unbeknown to Walter. They are a young Syrian musician Tarek Khalil (Haaz Sleiman) and his girlfriend from Senegal Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira) and apparently Tarek and Zainab are led to believe they are really renting the rooms.

Tarek and Zainab leave the professor's room, but they have nowhere to go. Being a good man at heart, Walter lets Tarek and Zainab stay. An unlikely friendship is born when Walter starts to learn djembe, an African hand drum Tarek loves to play.

Thomas McCarthy's second film deals with such important issues as immigration (post 9/11 particularly) and consequently it is partly political. Though the director tries not to show it overtly, it becomes evident where his heart truly lies.

But "The Visitor" succeeds most as a character-driven drama and most interesting character appears later in the film: Tarek's mother Mouna who is thoughtful and determined, played brilliantly by Hiam Abbass ("The Syrian Bride"). With convincingly dramatic interaction between Walter and Mouna, which is greatly benefited by the superb performances from two gifted leads, "The Visitor" becomes something very emotional in the end.

4/5 Sad but very interesting
  by Jaimie Mancham-case
This movie was very thought-provoking touching and sad. It was basically about a professor who goes to his apt in the city and finds 2 people living there, who turn out to be illegal immigrants. What happens to these people is one that makes the whole illegal immigration situation more enlightening and makes you really think about the subject as consequences to real peoples lives.

This move left me very sad and with a lot of questions which is good. But it doesn't help to suggest any solutions to the problem.