In a world of six billion people, it only takes one to change your life. In actor and filmmaker Tom McCarthy’s follow-up to his award winning directorial debut The Station Agent, Richard Jenkins (“Six Feet Under”) stars as a disillusioned Connecticut economics professor whose life is transformed by a chance encounter in New York City.
A poignant and often funny film about rediscovering joy in the most unexpected places, The Visitor boasts an international cast including Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman (“24”), Obie Award winner Danai Gurira and Hiam Abbass (Munich). McCarthy wrote and directed the film. Michael London (Sideways) and Mary Jane Skalski (Mysterious Skin) are the film’s producers. Oliver Bokelberg (Dark Matter) is Director of Photography. Oscar® winner Jan A. P. Kaczamarek (Finding Neverland) composed the music. John Paino (The Brothers Solomon) is Production Designer. Costumes are by Melissa Toth (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). The film is edited by Tom McArdle (The Architect).
Sixty-two-year-old Walter Vale (Jenkins) is sleepwalking through his life. Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, he fills the void by unsuccessfully trying to learn to play classical piano. When his college sends him to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian man, and Zainab (Danai Gurira), his Senegalese girlfriend, have
nowhere else to go. In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him.
Touched by his kindness, Tarek, a talented musician, insists on teaching the aging academic to play the African drum. The instrument’s exuberant rhythms revitalize Walter’s faltering spirit and open his eyes to a vibrant world of local jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. As the friendship between the two men deepens, the differences in culture, age and temperament fall away.
After being stopped by police in the subway, Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation. As his situation turns desperate, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. When Tarek’s beautiful mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass) arrives unexpectedly in search of her son, the professor’s personal commitment develops into an unlikely romance.
It’s through these newfound connections with three virtual strangers that Walter is awakened to a new world and a new life.
