The Visitor (2007)
Drama |
The Visitor is a American drama film written and directed by Tom McCarthy and produced by Michael London and Mary Jane Skalski. Executive producers were Jeff Skoll and Omar Amanat. The screenplay focuses on a lonely man in late middle age whose life changes when a chance encounter with an immigrant couple forces him to face issues relating to identity, immigration, and cross-cultural communication in post-9/11 New York City.
For The Visitor, McCarthy won the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, while Richard Jenkins was nominated for Best Actor in the 2009 Academy Awards.
Walter Vale is a widowed Connecticut College economics professor who lives a fairly solitary existence. He fills his days by sometimes taking piano lessons in an effort to emulate his late wife, a classical concert pianist, and infrequently works on a new book. When he is asked to present a paper at an academic conference at New York University, he is not enthusiastic to make the trip, given he is only the nominal co-author and has never even read the complete work. Charles, his department head, insists and Walter is forced to attend.
When he arrives in his old apartment in Manhattan, Walter is startled to find a young unmarried couple living there, having rented it from a swindler who claimed it was his. Tarek is an immigrant from Syria, a Palestinian-Syrian djembe player, and Zainab is a Senegalese designer of ethnic jewelry. He later discovers both are illegal immigrants. Although they have no place to go, they hastily pack and leave, but Walter decides to let them stay. Over the next few days, a friendship slowly develops. Tarek teaches Walter to play the drum, and the two men join a group of others at a regular drum circle in Central Park.
Director: Tom McCarthy
Writer: Tom McCarthy
Stars: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, Hiam Abbass, Marian Seldes, Maggie Moore, Michael Cumpsty
Cast:
| Richard Jenkins | … | Walter |
| Haaz Sleiman | … | Tarek |
| Danai Gurira | … | Zainab |
| Hiam Abbass | … | Mouna |
| Marian Seldes | … | Barbara |
| Maggie Moore | … | Karen |
| Michael Cumpsty | … | Charles |
| Bill McHenry | … | Darin |
| Richard Kind | … | Jacob |
| Tzahi Moskovitz | … | Zev |
| Amir Arison | … | Mr. Shah |
| Neal Lerner | … | Martin Revere |
| Ramon Fernandez | … | Cop #1 |
| Frank Pando | … | Cop #2 |
| Waleed Zuaiter | … | Omar |
| Deborah Rush | … | Upper Eastside Woman |
| Ashley Springer | … | Student |
| Laith Nakli | … | Nasim |
| Jacqueline Brogan | … | Waiter |
| Walter Mudu | … | Ronald Cole (as Walter T. Mudu) |
| Yevgeniy Dekhtyar | … | Slavic Man |
| Earl Baker Jr. | … | Lester James |
| Walter the Dog | … | Sprinkles the Dog |
| Bandar Albuliwi | … | Man in subway (uncredited) |
| Jesus A. Del Rosario Jr. | … | Park Drummer (uncredited) |
| Brother Eden Douglas | … | Airport Security Guard (uncredited) |
| Hristo Hristov | … | Detainee (uncredited) |
| Waléra Kanischtscheff | … | Cabbie (voice) (uncredited) |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia