Sundance. The Visitor.

Rob Davis for Paste on Thomas McCarthy's latest: "His previous film, The Station Agent, was - as others have said - completely in love with its characters, and the same is true of The Visitor, but the stakes are significantly higher this time.... "Like a title by the Dardennes, the title of the film shifts its object intriguingly from scene to scene, and McCarthy's sensitivity to class and culture is worthy of the same Belgian masters," writes Rob Davis for Paste. "It's a quiet, rich, and rewarding tale, with a wonderfully restrained performance by [Richard] Jenkins."

"There's a squick factor to any scenario in which vibrant, idealized people of color bring joy into the lives of the uptight and white, but The Visitor maintains a balance by keeping conscious of the complexity of its relationships," writes Alison Willmore at the IFC Blog.

"The film brims with anger over US immigration policy with characters that we can't help but feel for," writes Jeremy Mathews at Film Threat. "By the time the film abruptly switches from quiet understatement to overbearing didacticism, we already care enough about its characters that we don't mind."

"[I]f it isn't quite as fresh or as strangely moving as The Station Agent, it's still a damn fine film with a good heart and some really excellent performances," writes Scott Weinberg at Cinematical. "Kinda like The Station Agent."

Earlier: Reviews from Toronto.

Posted by dwhudson at January 30, 2008 12:52 PM