The Visitor

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  • Opened April 11, 2008 
  • 1 hr 43 min
  • PG-13 | brief strong language

  • Parents: Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+. More on child suitability

  • In a world of six billion people, it only takes one to change your life. Sixty-two-year-old Walter Vale is sleepwalking through his life. When his college sends him to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek, a Syrian man, and Zainab, his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go. Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him. Touched by his kindness, Tarek, a talented musician, insists on teaching the aging academic to play the African drum. The instrument's exuberant rhythms revitalize Walter's faltering spirit and open his eyes to a vibrant world of local jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, Marian Seldes
  • Director: Tom McCarthy
  • Genres: Art House/Foreign, Drama

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Critic Reviews

100
San Francisco Chronicle
| Ruthe Stein

The Visitor, is, if anything, more imaginative and touching than his first. Read full review

88
Chicago Tribune
| Michael Phillips

Jenkins and The Visitor”make lovely music together. It’s a case of a veteran character actor slipping on a leading role like the most comfortable pair of pants in the world. Read full review

88
Boston Globe
| Wesley Morris

This is a film of our times - paranoid, heartbroken, disillusioned - and the rare recent American movie whose characters react the way actual people might. Read full review

88
Rolling Stone
| Peter Travers

A heartfelt human drama that sneaks up and floors you. Read full review

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Richard Jenkins and Hiam Abbass in "The Visitor."