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The Visitor (2007 drama film)

The Visitor
TheVisitorPoster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tom McCarthy
Produced by Mary Jane Skalski
Michael London
Written by Tom McCarthy
Starring Richard Jenkins
Hiam Abbass
Haaz Sleiman
Danai Gurira
Music by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
Cinematography Oliver Bokelberg
Edited by Tom McArdle
Production
company
Distributed by Overture Films
Release date
  • September 7, 2007 (2007-09-07) (TIFF)
  • April 18, 2008 (2008-04-18) (United States)
Running time
103 minutes
Country United States
Language English
French
Arabic
Romanian
Budget $4 million
Box office $18,078,175

The Visitor is a 2007 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 he is forced 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 (Richard Jenkins) 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 (Michael Cumpsty), 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 (Haaz Sleiman), a Palestinian-Syriandjembe player, and Zainab (Danai Gurira) 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.


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