A tale of human connection and a commentary on systemic racism
On Monday, November 14, the Law Film Society screened Tom McCarthy’s The Visitor (2007). Earnest and poignant, if undeniably dated, The Visitor catalogues a privileged white man’s awakening to and unlikely connection with the struggles of an undocumented immigrant couple, Tarek and Zainab, in New York.
The Visitor pulls off something of a tightrope act. By focusing on its white protagonist, Walter Vale, rather than the undocumented experience inside the post-9/11 immigration regime, The Visitor risks becoming a white savior movie. It’s worth noting that The Visitor was released among a slew of well-meaning but misguided liberal race relations Oscar dramas—look no further than The Help (2011). Fortunately, The Visitor largely avoids these familiar pitfalls. Indeed, Walter Vale’s connection with Tarek and Zainab ultimately initiates their deportation, and his attempts to rectify the situation are ineffective. Walter’s fiery monologue at an immigration detention centre, bolstered by actor Richard Jenkins’s passionate delivery, intentionally amounts to nothing more than sound and fury.
The Visitor doesn’t present the struggles of undocumented people as a teachable moment for white people. However, it’s easy to mistake this message based on a questionable romantic storyline between Walter and Tarek’s mother. Happily, this relationship is handled tastefully and provides some genuinely tender moments where Hiam Abbass really shines alongside Jenkins.
Viewed either as a tale of human connection or a commentary on systemic racism, The Visitor risks stumbling at critical points. Nevertheless, it’s able to maintain its stride through the pure sincerity of its script and performers.
Editor’s Note: The Law Film Society is a community of students dedicated to exploring legality and discourse in contemporary and classic cinema. The Law Film Society hosts free monthly public film screenings. The Law Film Society will resume its monthly screening at the beginning of the Winter 2023 semester.
