“Richard Jenkins and “The Visitor” make lovely music together. It’s a case of a veteran character actor slipping on a leading role like the most comfortable pair of pants in the world.”
Tom McCarthy (an Oscar winner last year for Spotlight) wrote and directed this quietly powerful drama about a widowed academic (Richard Jenkins) who finds a pair of illegal immigrants living in his Manhattan apartment. One of the best films about post-9/11 New York City that explores issues of inequality and immigration without ever getting too moralistic or sentimental.
Sixty-two-year-old Walter Vale (Richard 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.