The Visitor (2007/I)

Director:

Thomas McCarthy

Writer:

Thomas McCarthy (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 April 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Connection is everything

Plot:

A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.

Awards:

3 wins

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Richard Jenkins	...	Walter Vale
Haaz Sleiman	...	Tarek Khalil
Danai Jekesai Gurira	...	Zainab (as Danai Gurira)
Hiam Abbass	...	Mouna Khalil
Marian Seldes	...	Barbara
Maggie Moore	...	Karen
Michael Cumpsty	...	Charles
Bill McHenry	...	Darin
Richard Kind	...	Jacob
Tzahi Moskovitz	...	Zev
Amir Arison	...	Mr. Shah
Neal Lerner	...	Martin Revere
Ramon Fernandez	...	Cop #1
Frank Pando	...	Cop #2
Waleed Zuaiter	...	Omar
Deborah Rush	...	Upper Eastside Woman
Ashley Springer	...	Student
Laith Nakli	...	Nasim
Jacqueline Brogan	...	Waiter
Walter Mudu	...	Ronald Cole (as Walter T. Mudu)
Yevgeniy Dekhtyar	...	Slavic Man
Earl Baker Jr.	...	Lester James
Walter the Dog	...	Sprinkles the Dog

Directed by
Thomas McCarthy

Writing credits
Thomas McCarthy		(screenplay)

Produced by
Omar Amanat	....	executive producer
Michael London	....	producer
Patty Long	....	line producer: additional photography
Chris Salvaterra	....	executive producer
Mary Jane Skalski	....	producer
Jeff Skoll	....	producer
Ricky Strauss	....	executive producer
Bergen Swanson	....	line producer
John Woldenberg	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Cinematography by
Oliver Bokelberg

Film Editing by
Tom McArdle

Casting by
Kerry Barden
Billy Hopkins
Suzanne Smith

Production Design by
John Paino

Art Direction by
Len Clayton

Set Decoration by
Kim Chapman

Costume Design by
Melissa Toth

Makeup Department
Marc Boyle	....	hair stylist: Los Angeles
Stacey Panepinto	....	key makeup artist
Leah Rial	....	makeup artist: Los Angeles
Lora Scrignoli	....	hair department head
Kami Steele	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
J.M. Brown	....	unit production manager: Los Angeles
Jonathan Ferrantelli	....	post-production supervisor
Jared Goldman	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicholas R. Bell	....	second assistant director
Anthony Blanco	....	second second assistant director
Mariela Comitini	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jamie Arbuckle	....	set dresser
Jacqueline Brogan	....	artistic consultant
Craig Charland	....	art production assistant
Olivia Dunn	....	art intern
John El Manahi	....	scenic painter
Eric Friedewald	....	lead person
Sean Haines	....	on-set dresser
Glenn Lloyd	....	art department coordinator
Miles Michael	....	set dresser
Kevin L. Raper	....	graphic artist
Niquan Riley	....	props
Brendan K. Russell	....	art department production assistant
Courtney Schmidt	....	assistant property master
Alexis Weiss	....	property master

Sound Department
Jamie Baker	....	sound editor
Damian Canelos	....	sound mixer
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
David Flynch	....	sound editor
Lewis Goldstein	....	sound re-recording mixer
Heather Gross	....	sound editor
Ruth Hernandez	....	sound editor
Paul Hsu	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Hsu	....	supervising sound editor
Frank Kern	....	sound editor
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer
Eric Milano	....	adr recordist
Cate Montana	....	sound editor
Adam Sanchez	....	boom operator
Gabriel Sanders	....	boom operator
John Sember	....	boom operator
Sara Stern	....	assistant sound editor
Lila Yomtoob	....	sound editor

Visual Effects by
Stephen Gaconnier	....	visual effects producer
Mike Nuget	....	digital cleanup artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Rik Andino	....	grip
Joe Belschner	....	additional dolly grip
Carter Bissell	....	best boy electric
Ryan Cheresnick	....	additional electrician
Dylan Crawshay-Williams	....	grip
Alexander Engel	....	electrician
John Frisbie	....	rigging gaffer
Rob Harlow	....	second key grip
Theodore N. Hellmuth	....	dolly grip
T.J. Hellmuth	....	dolly grip
Sarah L. Hendrick	....	additional second assistant camera
Kevin Kilcher	....	additional electrician
Ludovic Littee	....	first assistant camera
Adam Lukens	....	best boy grip
Adam Lukens	....	grip
Mike 'Electric' Mervilde Jr.	....	best boy grip
Smokey Nelson	....	gaffer
Aaron Randall	....	additional dolly grip
Meg Schrock	....	electrician
Meg Schrock	....	generator operator
Jaime Segschneider	....	second assistant camera
Elizabeth Stern	....	additional grip
Walter Strafford	....	additional grip
Matthew Walker	....	key grip
JoJo Whilden	....	still photographer
Casey Wooden	....	grip

Casting Department
Jessica Kelly	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Erin Byrne	....	additional costumer
Leah Katznelson	....	assistant costume designer
Rebecca McCabe	....	wardrobe supervisor: additional
Colleen McTigue	....	key costumer
Emily Mraz	....	costume intern
Diana Pappas	....	costume production assistant
Amy Pickering	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Kate Abernathy	....	assistant editor
Joe Gawler	....	digital opticals colorist
Ali Muney	....	assistant editor
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative matcher
Stan Sztaba	....	negative matcher
Daniel Triller	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Mariusz Glabinski	....	music editor
Mary Ramos	....	music supervisor
Marek Szpakiewicz	....	musician: cello solo
Marek Szpakiewicz	....	orchestrator

Other crew
John A. Accardo	....	production assistant
Lucie Bourgeau	....	production secretary: Los Angeles
Nicole Bukowski	....	accounting clerk
Hil Cato	....	assistant to production lawyer (as Hilary Stabb)
Matthew B. Chamberlin	....	location manager: additional photography, Los Angeles
Craig Charland	....	office intern
Rachel Connors	....	script supervisor
Chandra Cummin	....	assistant: Mary Jane Skalski
Charlie Dibe	....	assistant production coordinator
Jeph Duarte	....	location manager
Sky Gewant	....	additional production assistant
Dan Gloeckner	....	key set production assistant
Audra Gorman	....	location scout
James Granger	....	production secretary
Jonathan Gray	....	production counsel
Travis Huber	....	location scout
Brendan Kehoe	....	location assistant
Sara Lane	....	production accountant
Ben Logan	....	craft service assistant
Kristen Mink	....	assistant location manager
Karen S. Neasi	....	product placement
Darin J. Patterson	....	additional production assistant
Elizabeth Pellegrini	....	production coordinator
Dana Penrod	....	production assistant
Jamie Ellen Rush	....	production assistant: first team
Gus Sacks	....	office intern
Weiman Seid	....	unit publicist
Lara Sfire	....	production assistant
Luke Tomalin Sherman	....	unit production assistant
Ivy Shyu	....	assistant: Thomas McCarthy
Collin Smith	....	location manager
Marny Smith	....	office intern
Sharon Steinhauser	....	business and legal affairs
J.P. Summerskill	....	payroll accountant
Vivian Tong	....	production assistant
Tom Yeager	....	location manager

Thanks
Juliana Farrell	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Groundswell Productions
• Next Wednesday Productions
• Participant Productions

Distributors

• Halcyon Pictures (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• K5 International (2007) (non-USA) (all media)
• Overture Films (2007) (USA) (all media)
• Overture Films (2008) (USA) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Janimation

Other Companies

• Chapman / Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes
• Chapman / Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Fat Dot  unit publicity
• K5 International  international sales
• Post Factory NY  post-production facilities
• Sylvia Fay/ Lee Genick & Associates Casting  extras casting
• Tandem Sound  sound post-production
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Runtime:

Canada:103 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Groundswell Productions

Soundtrack:

Salsera

McCarthy's Small Film Shows Passion Can Be Found in the Most Unexpected Places

A genuinely unexpected gem. As he proved with his first film as a director and screenwriter, 2003's "The Station Agent", Thomas McCarthy knows how to convey the fine line between solitude and loneliness in his characters' lives with an emotional preciseness that doesn't call attention to itself. It's not surprising that McCarthy is an actor because he's able to capture the very subtle nuances in behavior in actors that make his work feel like Edward Hopper paintings come to life. As a result, you pay attention to a simple gesture, a passing glance, a resigned sigh. This time, his protagonist is Walter Vale, an enervated, middle-aged economics professor at a Connecticut college. Widowed and wholly lacking in professional motivation, he begrudgingly accepts an assignment to go to an academic conference at NYU and present a paper on globalization he really didn't write.

Coming back to a Greenwich Village flat he rarely uses, he is surprised to find a couple living there. Not squatters but unfortunate victims of a rental scam, they turn out to be illegal aliens, a Syrian percussionist named Tarek and his girlfriend Zainab, a Senegalese who makes and sells handcrafted jewelry. As withdrawn from life as Walter is, he slowly finds himself bonding with the couple and lets them stay indefinitely. Zainab is slow to trust Walter, but Tarek and Walter become close over a mutual love of African drums. As his wife was a famous classical pianist, Walter had been futilely attempting to find musical inspiration since her death. However, just as this charming tale of world harmony plays out, it comes back to harsh reality when Tarek is arrested and taken to a detention center in Queens for deportation. What McCarthy does from this point forward is show how sadly restrictive the post-9/11 environment has made immigration laws and how there is no recourse to be found under the constant surveillance of a bureaucratic government protected by the latitude of the Patriot Act.

None of this is hit over our heads with a politically motivated sledgehammer. Far from such polemics, the story singularly focuses on Walter's emergence of purpose in helping Tarek. When Tarek's mother Mouna arrives from Detroit, McCarthy adeptly shows how Walter's closeness to Tarek translates without condition to her. It's a moving transformation of a formerly lonely man finding intimacy in the most unlikely situation. In a once-in-a-lifetime role, character actor Richard Jenkins brings heart and soul to Walter in the most economical manner. Best known as the ghostly father in HBO's "Six Feet Under", he has worked steadily in films for three decades, his most memorable turn being the gay FBI agent high on heroin in David O. Russell's "Flirting with Disaster". With his constant look of resignation on the verge of revelation, Jenkins gives a wondrously poignant, often dryly funny performance that deepens as the story evolves.

Haaz Sleiman and Danai Gurira are terrifically winning as Tarek and Zainab, and they make their bonding with Walter more than credible. As Mouna, Hiam Abbass is no stranger to persevering maternal roles as she brought her particular brand of strength to Hany-Abu Assad's controversial "Palestine Now" and Eran Riklis' family dramedy, "The Syrian Bride". In response to Walter's fumbling overtures, she affectingly conveys her character's resolute stillness and gradual blossoming. There are brief cameos by comic actor Richard Kind as Walter's unctuous neighbor, Deborah Rush as a wealthy and ignorant customer of Zainab's, and Broadway legend Marian Seldes as Walter's failed piano teacher. At first, I thought the film's title was blandly generic in describing those who are here from other lands, but I realize now that the visitor is really Walter as he discovers his soul. The last shot is memorable and captures the fury of his passion with potent force. Strongly recommended.