The Visitor Blu-ray delivers great video and decent audio in this overall recommended Blu-ray release
Walter (Richard Jenkins) is a disaffected college professor who has been drifting aimlessly through his life. When, in a chance encounter on a trip into New York, Walter discovers a couple has taken up residence in his apartment in the city, he develops an unexpected and profound connection to them that will change his life forever. As challenges arise for his tenants Tarek
(Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira), Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friends, and rediscovers a passion he thought he had lost long ago.
I pretend that I'm busy, that I'm working, that I'm writing. I'm not doing anything.
The Visitor is a story about making a difference, but it is a story grounded in reality, a
reality that says sometimes making a difference is not enough. It's the tale of two worlds
colliding,
where fear becomes acceptance, where acceptance becomes friendship, where friendship
becomes a
lifetime bond of the spirit. Spirit is the theme of the film, of allowing one's spirit to soar, to shine
through, and to never be hidden away again. It is a rare film that sets out not to entertain, not
to
inform, and not to preach. What it does is simply tell a tale of opening up, of accepting others, or
looking inside for a special gift, and accepting that gift rather than shunning it when it is
presented.
It's about an opportunity to be something more, to live and work for a purpose, rather than, as
the
character Walter Vale says in the quote above, "not doing anything." The Visitor raises
the question, "who is the visitor?" Perhaps, as we may be led to believe throughout the film, we
are all visitors, visitors
to this life, to what we do, to who we think we are. Perhaps we are merely visiting ourselves
while
in search of some greater purpose outside of the mundane, outside of the nonchalance, outside
of
the "nothing" we so often call life.
I'd very much appreciate it if you could sneak a Blu-ray player in here for me.
Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins, The Kingdom) is a
lonely widower, classical music lover, and a college professor in Connecticut with a penchant for
fine wine, living out a dull, depressed life with no meaning and certainly no spirit. When he is
assigned to attend a conference in New York City, he returns to his apartment of 25 years only to
find two illegal immigrants -- Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira) -- living
there. After a brief confrontation, calm heads prevail, the situation is resolved, and Tarek and
Zainab gather their belongings and leave. Walter feels compelled to follow, returning a picture
they left behind and offering them the shelter of his apartment while they search for a new
home. Walter's ear for music slowly becomes attuned to the beats of Tarek's West African
Djembe drum, and the pair form a strong bond of friendship thanks to their mutual love for the
instrument and music. When Tarek is arrested and detained in a nondescript prison for illegal
aliens, Walter leaves his former life behind to do all he can to free his friend.
The Visitor tells a story that is left incomplete, but therein lies its
point. The film leaves audiences in search of their own answers, looking inside themselves for
the
meaning of the film and of the reality-driven story contained therein. The fact that no one
character's arc is resolved is the reason why the film works as well as it does. That's life, in a
nutshell. People come and go, for their own reasons or for those of others, justly or not, and
sometimes it's all one can do to move on, to embrace the memories of those no longer with us,
to
live a life inspired by what they brought to it, and live for another, brighter day. The
Visitor
is an emotionally-charged film with a powerful message that never feels overt, forced, or
politically
charged, despite the fact that the film's central story line could be taken as such. It is so well
integrated into the film that it is impossible not to become invested in the lives of the characters.
It
is the tale of the bond of friendship across cultural lines; of taking a dull, meaningless life and
working to instead make a difference; and of love, the emotional and spiritual bond between
people
who choose to open up in the name of kindness and friendship rather than close the door for
hate,
distrust, or anger.
The Visitor is a melancholic, poignant picture, and director Thomas McCarthy has
effortlessly captured the essence of the story from a visual perspective. His shots are
to-the-point and always seem to convey the emotions of the film, on a scene-by-scene basis,
with the same rhythm and heart as the characters and indeed, as the musical instruments they
play. The film is also masterfully brought to life
thanks to the first-rate acting of the entire spectrum of primary and secondary actors, from
Richard Jenkins down
the guard behind the window at the detention facility. Every performance is natural and honest,
the key to success for a human drama such as The Visitor. The film creates Walter
Vale's world vividly and without any reservations, showcasing the depressed, detached state
through which he lives his life. Even as his conference begins and he is surrounded by his
colleagues, he fails to connect with anyone, and the varied visuals of his semi-depressed state,
combined with the film's sorrowful music aids in conveying to audiences his nearly complete
isolation. This well-crafted set-up makes his connection and subsequent bonding with Tarek,
Zainab, and Mouna all the more worthy of the themes of the story. Walter is not a
happy-go-lucky, life-of-the-party type; he's the very definition of a loner, and the story only
works thanks to
the film's brilliant portrayal of his character's progression from loner to friend to champion of a
cause that he never had to be a part of.
The Visitor comes home to Blu-ray with a 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. The print
exhibits some speckles, but the image is strong on the whole. Detail is more than adequate. Vale's
office at the university looks realistic and settled, as one may clearly make out all of the books on
the shelf
and the various trinkets on his desk. In a subsequent shot, viewers can see the finer details of his
kitchen. The transfer never backs away from being sharp and clear, with nice attention to every
detail both in the foreground and in the background, where the image rarely goes soft. The
Visitor is a movie that is simply a pleasure to behold for its simplistic yet engaging
approach, and the strong transfer only makes it better. Colors are lifelike in most every frame. The
film's lighting scheme is just a bit dim in places, but is never a hinderance to the transfer. Black
levels are decent but not overly impressive. The film retains a hint of grain, though most of it is
seen
over the darkest scenes of the film. Flesh tones are natural in reproduction. The Visitor is
another solid transfer from Starz.
The Visitor is far from being a sonic marvel, but the film's reserved soundtrack comes to
well-rendered life thanks to the accompanying PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack. Dialogue is
sharp and precise, and the track is very front heavy. The various Djembe beats and other musical
numbers shine through nicely with a wide open presence and an easygoing and precise room-filling
sound. Various segments of the score blend nicely into the rears, the only time the back channels
really come alive during the film. There is little in the way of environmental atmospherics in the
film. Much of it takes place indoors with little to no need to reproduce anything but the basics
of the soundtrack, the dialogue, and the score. The Visitor is not the sort of film that was
made
to engross listeners with an engaging soundtrack, and the presentation here befits the mood of
the film.
The Visitor arrives bearing several supplements for your viewing pleasure. First is a
commentary track featuring writer/director Thomas McCarthy and actor Richard Jenkins. This
track
is the highlight of the supplements. McCarthy discusses the importance of the "pace and tone" of
the
film, some of the obstacles to shooting (such as a parade of trick-or-treaters interfering with
some
shots), the film's set design, and more. It's not as serious as expected, coming off as more
laid back with McCarthy, at one point, poking fun at Jenkins for not offering up much in the way
of
comments, but
both do manage to make for a rather good track.
Playing the Djembe (480p, 7:48) is a piece that examines this West African instrument
of
choice that is prominently featured in the film. The piece is better than your average studio fluff;
the cast and crew who are interviewed for the piece provide meaningful and intelligent insight in
an
approachable manner. The piece is worth watching as a fine, albeit short, accompaniment to the
film. An Inside Look at 'The Visitor' (480p, 4:48) is a fairly basic piece where the cast
and
crew look at the themes and story line of the film. Lastly, viewers are treated to deleted scenes
(480p, 3:22) with optional director and actor commentary and the film's trailer (480p, 2:32).
Through its powerful final shot, The Visitor leaves its story incomplete in the context of a
traditional narrative, but it serves as a fitting ending to this particular tale. Leaving nothing
resolved, save for the newfound resolve of Walter Vale, the film leaves audiences to only imagine
the fate of its characters: where they go; how they live their lives; what they fight for; who they
meet; how they continue in their struggles; and how, if ever, they continue on with the strong
bond that they have created, a bond that is left stretched to its limits by forces outside of their
control, but never able to be completely broken. The Visitor is simple yet powerful
filmmaking at its finest, telling a tale that yearns to be told, but also one that many viewers may
greet in a myriad of ways. No matter your reaction to the film's portrayal of illegal immigration,
there is no denying the theme of heartfelt friendship and its importance in the face of adversity,
from a simple misunderstanding over who is the rightful tenant of an apartment to the
incarceration of an illegal immigrant. The Visitor is an extremely well-made and acted
film, a thoughtful and profound piece that sets out not to entertain or even necessarily inform,
but to simply tell a tale that is deemed worth telling, and is one worth your attention. Starz
presents The Visitor as a fairly average Blu-ray package. With a solid video transfer, a
fitting PCM soundtrack, and a few extras, the disc won't be sold on its technical merits but on the
strength of the story told therein. For those seeking deeper, emotionally-charged cinema, look
no
further than The Visitor. Recommended.
Anchor Bay Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring the award-winning 'The Visitor' to Blu-ray on October 7th, day-and-date with the DVD release. No technical specs have been announced at this time, but we do know that supplemental features for this ...
