Tuesday, December 14, 2010

The Visitor


I watched The Visitor (2 hours) because it sounded like an interesting movie that addressed a lot of issues that surround our social system today. Specifically, the themes of diversity and discrimination run rampant throughout this entire movie.

The Visitor is the story of a lonely college professor (Walter) who returns to a NYC apartment he hasn't lived in for many years to realize that a young couple (Tarek and Zainab) has been staying in the apartment without his knowledge. Walter offered to allow them to stay for the time-being, and he quickly developed a good relationship with Tarek. Tarek taught Walter how to play the drums, and the two enjoyed each other's company, playing in the apartment and on the street. The twist of the movie begins when Tarek is arrested by NYPD officers who accuse him of jumping over the turnstile and not paying for the subway, which was depicted as a drastic case of racial profiling and discrimination. The twist continues when it comes out that Tarek and Zainab are both illegal aliens living in the United States, and Tarek is taken to an illegal immigrant detention center. Walter's relationship builds with Zainab and Tarek's mother (also an illegal immigrant), who has come to check on her son because she hasn't heard from him in a few days. Walter hires a lawyer to try to get Tarek released and his green card process started, but it is to no avail - despite all of their best efforts, Tarek is deported back to his homeland, Syria. Despite building a great relationship in this stressful time, Tarek's mother decides she must leave Walter to rejoin her son in Syria. Walter's life and outlook on life has been forever changed by these three people that literally fell into his lap.

The Visitor is based around the two central theories of diversity and discrimination in post-9/11 America. Specifically, they address the treatment of illegal immigrants who have established lives in America. Walter was a lonely man who had lost the joy in his life and was living robotically, going through the motions of his mundane life that he had lost all passion in. Tarek transferred his passion of playing the drum to Walter, who gave up on piano for this new, exciting instrument. Tarek's detention also opened Walter's eyes to the discriminatory practices that go on day in and day out for people of other races. Walter was transformed into a new person by these three people that entered his life suddenly, and they truly made his life much better by simply being good people. He no longer was just "going through the motions," he developed a passion in his new found instrument and new found friends that gave him a purpose to living. Tarek's deportation outraged Walter and he lost who seemed to be becoming a romantic partner, Tarek's mother, but Walter continued to play the drum, even in the subway area where him and Tarek has planned to.

The Visitor  is an excellent movie that portrays real-world instances of discrimination and racial profiling. It also depicts how lives can be changed for the better by even one person. I highly recommend watching this movie!

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