Better Living Through Drums: "The Visitor"

Richard Jenkins and Haaz Sleiman in The Visitor

When I saw the NYT review of the new film "The Visitor" (or really, just excerpts of the review, since I'm behind on reading my daily newsletter), and found that it was the latest from the director of "The Station Agent," Thomas McCarthy, I decided to give up my plans to be productive at home tonight, and go instead to see it. I'm really glad I did. As the review says, even though the arc is a little predictable, and it's more uplifting in certain respects than I tend to prefer, it still manages to have unexpected moments, as far as emotional shifts especially. The movie has the same basic plot outline as "The Station Agent": reserved, misanthropic guy moves out of his old home and meets new people and things change up for the better, with complications of course (hmm, I wonder why these movies have appealed to me...it was scary, the affinity I felt for the main character in the opening scenes when he's shown doing things by himself, more or less content). Compared with "The Station Agent," which up until the last 10 minutes or so is so impressively subdued, this one has a lot more to it, though, both in story and in layered meaning: once the Arab character who befriends the misanthrope gets detained, there is a serious undercurrent of commentary about wretched, wrongheaded US immigration policy, though fortunately although the tone is obviously critical, McCarthy doesn't hit you over the head with it. The acting is superb, particularly that of Richard Jenkins as the misanthrope whose glum life improves after his meeting with the Arab (a Syrian, played by Haaz Sleiman), who teaches him to play the drums...a transformative act that unfortunately leads to his detention. The scenes are also visually gorgeous so often, with interesting zooms and focuses and panoramas, plus just remarkable lighting and photography in general. It takes place in NYC for the most part and it was clear that many people in the crowd were real New Yorkers and were in on the subtle visual cues. I saw a subway performer I've walked by many times, and I think one scene takes place in a restaurant near my work, though they put a different name on the awning. Oh, New York...you still have it, baby.