Thomas McCarthy has an uncanny ability to capture the curiosity and complexity of our awkward humanity. Following on from his 2003 indie-hit The Station Agent, McCarthy once again tracks one man’s descent into solipsism and the compassionate characters that coax him out of himself.
Richard Jenkins is pitch perfect as Walter, an apathetic economics professor, hiding behind a long overdue book as he mourns the passing of his pianist wife. Forced to present a paper in Manhattan, Walter returns to his pied-à-terre to find it illegally rented to an immigrant couple: Syrian drummer Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese girlfriend, Zainab (Danai Gurira). Entranced by Tarek’s drum, Walter’s life soon takes on a new rhythm as this pair, along with Tarek’s mother (Hiam Abbas) indelibly alter his world.
As an allegory of post 9/11 America, The Visitor can be a tad tidy at times. The detention centre subplot, the ferry-ride past Ellis Island and a climactic dissolve on an American flag border on melodramatic. However McCarthy’s characters are so wonderfully written and superbly performed that one can overlook such appealing flourishes.
Jenkins is an absolute pleasure to watch. A renowned character-actor probably best known from his ghostly turn in Six Feet Under, it’s marvellous to see him take on this Academy Award nominated role. Also deserving of acclaim is the wide-eyed, effortlessly charismatic Sleiman and the nuance Abbas brings to her worried, world-weary mother.
The DVD extras provide a commentary, deleted scenes and an interview with the director and stars. Combined with a delightful feature on the African djembe, The Visitor DVD will teach you how to drum like nobody’s watching.
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1 comments:
Prolific posting, Ali! Looks interesting - might put it in the old quickflix queue! x
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