It’s me—Bobzilla—writing a movie review. If you know me, you know I’m a drummer and that drum circle drumming is my main thing. I could pretend to be some “more respectable” type of drummer, but then I’d be writing a completely different type of review of The Visitor.
That’s the main theme of the movie: who we pretend to be versus who we really are. And the simple fact that what we really do is a big part of defining who we really are.
Take Walter for example—the lead character in The Visitor, skillfully portrayed with a restrained, understated dignity by Richard Jenkins. Walter pretends to be writing a book so that he won’t have to put much energy into pretending to teach economics at a college, then in the evening he pretends to be interested in learning to play the piano. All of the “going through the motions” in Walter’s life arise from the simple fact that he isn’t very interested in life after the death of his wife. Walter loved his wife—a concert pianist—and nothing that Walter does really brings her back into his life; not his teaching, not his writing, and he can’t even manage to hold onto her ghost by playing her instrument. Walter’s heart has closed and he only pretends to have a life.
This review will probably have SPOILERS in it. But even if I tell the entire plot, watching the movie is still a much more powerful experience than reading even the best review.
All of the characters in The Visitor are visitors of one kind or another, even though we may not immediately think of them that way. The fun part of the story begins for Walter when he visits New York to give a talk on a paper that he pretends to have co-written. He has an apartment in New York that sits “vacant” most of the time while Walter’s “home” is in Connecticut. Walter’s visit to his New York apartment shows him that “his” apartment hasn’t been quite vacant while he’s been away. In a suspenseful—and very artistically-photographed—scene, Walter discovers Zainab—played by Danai Gurira—soaking in his bathtub. A moment later, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) is in the scene, pushing Walter against a wall, demanding to know whether Walter has touched Zainab.
It’s quite an amazing piece of movie magic: a complicated stand-off where the viewer isn’t really sure whose side to take. It’s Walter’s apartment, but Walter doesn’t stay there; Zainab is naked and vulnerable in the bathtub, so I couldn’t blame her for being a troublemaker; Tarek responds to the situation with some quick aggression, but he’s protecting his girlfriend.
They’re all visitors in their own ways: meeting in a hallway outside a bathroom. Who OWNS the hallway? Does anyone really OWN the hallways of life? Well, probably so, but this is one of those moments in a movie where you have to ask yourself if there’s a clearly wronged person in this situation or if it’s just people doing what they do, being who they are. It begins to shake Walter out of his…(note to self:: find one of those fancy German words that means the sort of funk you get into when you forget or refuse to feel your own feelings).
It takes this kind of a shock for Walter to discover that he’s able to feel some sympathy and concern for others, a feeling that Walter had lost until that moment.
Now I realize that I don’t need to tell much more of the plot. Tarek helps Walter realize that there is something immediate and present that Walter can actually do with his time; something worthwhile that Walter can do with his hands and with his feelings: he can play a drum.
The drum doesn’t know any pretense. You’re playing it or you aren’t. Walter can tell people that he’s busy with his writing or that he’s busy with his teaching or that he is doing this or that; Walter can make excuses about why he isn’t living his life, but the drum doesn’t take excuses. The drum makes a sound when he plays it and when he’s not playing it, he thinks about playing it.
The movie-viewer is given many other treats in this lovely film. You don’t have t be a drummer to enjoy it, but if you are, you notice the changes in Walter all the more powerfully.
Nor do you have to know anything about Muslims to enjoy this film, but if you do, you will come away with realizations about why Muslims would want to come to America: to drum, to love, to be human beings, to forget about what one pretends to be and to instead BE the person one really is.
I recommend The Visitor to all people who enjoy being people
For more info on The Visitor, see http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809773648/info
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4 comments:
Great review! I think this might be one movie I might have to watch.
Our whole drumming group went together to watch the movie and we enjoyed it. We all pretty much wanted to see more about drumming but that wasn't all the movie was about. I have been thinking about the movie off and on since we saw it a week or two ago. It was low-key but very thought provoking.
Thanks for the comments. Now that you mention it, Jo, the low-key-ness of the story is a big part of what made it so powerful for me. I had the feeling that there was more to the story than what was being shown on the screen: an important part of the story was happening inside of me while I watched.
In particular, I had the impression that the end of the movie wasn't really the end of the story. Walter learned something through drumming and through his new friendships.
After the last scene, I think Walter would find a way to visit Tarek and Mouna. The drum taught him to feel and to act on his feelings.
I believe in the good in people, if only they can find a way to bring it out.
Even though the film doesn't really show it, I think Walter became the kind of person who finds his ways to be who he is.
Tonya from OVERTURE FILMS (www.thevisitorfilm.com)made this comment:
Hi Bob—I just wanted to thank you so very much for sharing that wonderful review of our film, THE VISITOR. I am thrilled that you enjoyed it as much as we have enjoyed working on it. Your passion for drumming is inspirational.
Have a wonderful weekend!
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