The Visitor

The main character is a burnt-out aging man who has only been surviving since the death of his wife and his job as a university professor allows him to pretend to be busy at work to hide his emptiness, bitterness, and loneliness from others. A chance encounter with a pair of immigrants enables him to attach himself to something new and find a new meaning in his existence by helping a man who is facing deportation back to his homeland. The problem is that it all feels artificially arranged. It didn't draw me into the story or evoke the emotions that the authors undoubtedly expected. I didn't experience the dramas of these characters and didn't sympathize with them as one would expect. The film only shows one side of the matter, and even that is done through emotionally manipulative means. It isn't an analyzing and truly provocative film. The issue with a large army of illegal immigrants is, of course, much more complex. The whole of America was built on the work of underprivileged immigrants, and usually only the second generation could benefit from the system and become fully-fledged members of society. It is obviously advantageous for the system that there is a group of people who unquestioningly take on inferior jobs and accept minimum wages. The repressive apparatus is also adapted to this, and its goal is not to annihilate illegal immigration but to keep it within reasonable limits. There is plenty of room for criticism here. On the other hand, let's not kid ourselves, the idea that anyone has the right to enter a foreign country, work there, and live there is obviously naive and unacceptable. No social and economic system could withstand that. The immigration police and relevant authorities, understandably, carry out dirty work on a political and, ultimately, public order. In this aspect, the film is insincere because asylum or permanent residence permits are not given simply because one is decent... Overall impression: 45%. I was also bothered by the slow pace and stuffy appearance of the main character. (14/10/2011)

It is unbelievable how many sincere emotions, serious themes and pressing thoughts can be found in one inconspicuous, small-scale film with characters that you would at first glance judge as supporting. The Visitor offers a completely different perspective on the lives of people affected by the immigration issue in New York after 9/11. A great longing for freedom, happiness and (probably the last) love in life. Thomas McCarthy is an unprecedentedly sensitive and aware filmmaker. (31/01/2011)

I have high respect for films that are in a deeply human form able to tell an exceptional story which is created not just by destiny, but also the current world affairs. And The Visitor is exactly that kind of film. Sad, true, real. Just like life itself. In the end we all realize that the small joyful things and love are the only things that can actually make you happy. But also sad. (04/04/2016)

Question: What would a stressed-out and unpleasant university teacher do if he found an Arabian man and a black woman living in his flat? Answer: He will show his good heart and will let them stay there, not caring at all how they got in… Yeah, a “food for thought” movie… (though emotionally it’s quite effective, so I’m giving it at least 60%). (29/12/2011)

Nicely staged social milking. Luckily, McCarthy beats the melodrama drum with affection, and the characters are nice, you grow to like them... I'm a little annoyed with their naïve humanism and commitment in these films (not on principle, but because they emotionally manipulate the viewer to get him on their side), but The Visitor is a bearable case. Only by watching it do I remain an ironic observer of irreversible and readable events, not an experiencing spectator. (11/07/2011)