"...Hospitality to Strangers"

It was one of those movies that start with a conversation in our living room:

My husband: What's it called?
Me: "The Visitor."
Him: Never heard of it. Where'd you hear about it?
Me: Beats me.
Him: (Blank look.)
Me: Sorry. I don't remember.
Him: Uh. Okay. (Interpretation: Oh, no. Not again.)

I sort of deserved it because the last movie we watched under such circumstances was "Julia" (1979) starring Jane Fonda. Ugh. So what if a couple of folks won academy awards? Sheesh.

So I held my breath as we slid "The Visitor" into the DVD player, nervous that my credibility was on the line.

...and I was vindicated!

In this flick that even my skeptical husband ended up loving (and which you can download and view instantly if you have a Netflix account), widowed professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins, in an Oscar-nominated role) discovers an immigrant couple, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira), squatting in his Manhattan flat. Not wanting to throw them on the street, he lets them stay for a few days...maybe longer.

In the process of sharing a bathroom with them, he becomes wrapped up in their lives--especially when Tarek gets thrown into a detention center through no fault of his own. Hiam Abbass delivers a brilliant performance as Tarek's mother, who forges an unlikely connection with Walter. Thomas McCarthy won a Best Director Independent Spirit Award for his touching drama.

If you want to see a film that challenges you to wrestle with immigration issues, here's the pick for you. Even better--invite a group to see it with you and hold a spirited discussion afterward.

If you're a writer seeking to master the art of storytelling, watch this one to observe how the screenwriters/producers pull off a brilliant character arc in Walter's character.