"The Visitor"

Last night we had the privilege of attending an advanced screening of "The Visitor", a new movie written and directed by Tom McCarthy ("The Station Agent").

The film focuses on Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins), a 60's something widower professor, who seemed to be totally unconnected with life and others. That is until he takes a trip to New York City to find two undocumented immigrants living in his apartment, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a drummer from Syria, and Zainab (Danai Gurira), his Senegalese girlfriend.

It is in this meeting that Walter's life is changed. Tarek begins to teach him the drum and Walter seems to have found joy again. That is until Tarek is arrested in the subway and taken to a detention center.

And this begins the sad story of detention centers in the U.S. "The Visitor" does an excellent job of showing the realities of our immigration system and the long and painful process many asylum seekers endure to come to America.

This film does an incredible job of revealing to us the importance of the global community. The lyrical beauty of the films script and character development make it a pleasure to watch.
If I have not convinced you to see this excellent movie, here are some people that agree with me.
The New York Times Review

The Salon Review

Watch the Preview

To find out more about immigrant detention centers in America, please visit our friends the Detention Watch Network.