Richard Jenkins’ portrayal of lacklustre professor Walter is beautifully underplayed; with Jenkins somnambulistically acting out the various roles of Walter’s daily routine as a stilted economics professor. The beginning scenes unravel artfully and launch into the story where Walter is abruptly introduced to the young couple (Tarek and Zainab), who’ve been inadvertently renting his usually vacant NY apartment from a fraudster (posing as the legitimate landlord).
The ensuing impromptu friendship that develops is well conceived. The wariness and strong-will of Zainab contrasts well against her boyfriend Tarek’s more forthright and relaxed nature. The interplay between Tarek, Zainab and Walter is at times awkward, at times touching. I felt that these quality performances went a long way towards forgiving the unlikely set of circumstances (and responses) that brought and kept these three characters together.
I thought the scenes where Walter learns to play the djembe were beautifully played; Walter’s awkward but curious initiation into drumming – and the (unexpected) expression of pure joy on his face while playing – added believable depth to an otherwise restrained and austere performance.
Walter’s exposure to the djembe perhaps underpins the film’s well-intentioned message – that our lives are enriched by living side-by side with other cultures. Good intentions aside, I think the second half of the film suffers because of the film-maker’s heavy-handed desire to go further and promote the idea that ‘good people suffer in the hands of US immigration control‘.
In my opinion producing a film with any agenda is problematic because it requires a degree of rationalisation and simplification which works against interesting characterisation. Life is very rarely straightforward – and when it is straightforward, it isn’t interesting to watch.
In the case of the second half of The Visitor, I felt that this overarching requirement to show the characters in a positive light removed any sense of conflict the characters might have otherwise possessed. The story no longer had a life of it’s own – and seemed to involve reaching a predetermined conclusion through any route possible.
The character of Tarek’s (caring / strong / dignified) mother, fell short of the high-expectations that I’d built-up during the first half of the film. I felt her portrayal was lacking – and I didn’t fully understand the function her character played. The subsequent relationship that develops between Walter and Mouna seemed gratuitous and left too many questions unanswered.
After watching this and Tom McCarthy’s first film (The Station Agent), it’s clear to me that McCarthy is an accomplished director / writer – who perhaps excels at directing character-based stories. I think this film suffers because halfway through the film McCarthy attempts to move focus from a rich exploration of character, to a slightly ill-conceived issue-based drama.