Overview
A lonely professor finds unexpected connections in a bustling city that reignites his passion for life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- intimate
- compassionate
- reflective evening
- indie film night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a heartfelt, humanistic, understated drama that explores identity and immigration with strong performances and avoids sentimental excess.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Walter learns African drumming from Tarek, and shared musical activity becomes the clearest bridge between their lives.
Tarek's arrest and detention place the characters within the film's contemporary debate over undocumented migration and state control.
Walter's empty academic routine gives way to friendship, romance, and a renewed sense that life can be meaningful.
Walter's apartment, the subway, the detention center, and the jazz club place personal change alongside the city's immigrant and musical communities.
Films like The Visitor, and why
The Station Agent
understated humanistic drama, loneliness, unexpected friendship, and gentle emotional transformation
Brooklyn
immigration themes, intimate character drama, cultural encounter, and bittersweet realism
In This World
socially conscious drama centered on displacement, institutional injustice, and restrained performances
Lost in Translation
quietly compassionate urban drama about alienation, connection, and renewed purpose
Movie Details
- Director
- Tom McCarthy
- Release Date
- 2008-02-21
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (518)
Cast
- Richard Jenkins
- Haaz Sleiman
- Danai Gurira
- Hiam Abbass
- Marian Seldes
- Maggie Moore
- Michael Cumpsty
- Bill McHenry
- Richard Kind
- Tzahi Moskovitz
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Visitor about?
- A solitary Connecticut professor rediscovers connection through friendship, music, and love after undocumented immigrants unexpectedly enter his New York life.
- What is The Visitor like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Visitor as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Visitor violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Visitor as mild.
- What did critics think of The Visitor?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a heartfelt, humanistic, understated drama that explores identity and immigration with strong performances and avoids sentimental excess.
- Which films are like The Visitor?
- Films with a similar feel include The Station Agent, Brooklyn, In This World, and Lost in Translation.
- How long is The Visitor?
- The Visitor runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Visitor?
- In United States, The Visitor is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
