professor vale (richard jenkins) is a difficult man. and he moves around his academic life in connecticut with not much verve. he dislikes his students as well as his colleagues. in a stroke of fate, he was sent to new york to present a paper that he supposedly "co-authored" - only to find a couple of illegal migrants occupying his own apartment - syrian tarek (haaz sleiman) and senegalese zainab.
just when you thought he'd boot them out of his pad, he finds himself inviting them over - until they another place, that is. in the course of events, the professor finds a friend in tarek (the uber-charming haaz sleiman) who soon teaches him how to play his african drums.
but all is not well in the city when tarek is accosted by some policemen, then the plot thickens. so thick i couldn't pause the video for a visit to the loo. LOL
this is obviously an independent film that deserves to be seen by a wider audience. it is compelling and heart-breaking. in the tradition of "pieta", where a mother will do everything for his son. this movie underlines the multi-layered levels of relationship: mother and son, lovers, and friendship!
i love the part where tarek's mother (also an illegal migrant herself) visits the prison facility where tarek was taken, knowing that she can't see him. "i just want to see the place where they took my son. it comforts me to know that he is there.," she said. richard jenkins is a force of nature!
and haaz sleiman is simply endearing. he imparts a truly sincere performance that's both winning and intense. he will be seen next in "futball:the pieces of dreams" which is about an iranian soccer prodigy who is recruited to play in the united states. not a very original story (remember the british movie "goal") but it would be interesting knowing that this story takes place in iran.
why is this such a great movie? two words. thomas mccarthy! another three words. the station agent. the latter would have to be one of my all-time favorite movies, with beautifully threshed out characters, dreamy settings, interesting situational thread, and not a lot of narrative gimmickry - just a plain beautiful story involving real people with a lot of heart. this director thomas mccarthy - who won BAFTA for "the station agent" - deserves to make more movies than just those 2!!! it just seems to be an injustice to have this brilliant director shell out just 2 movies in 4 years!
one more thing, director mccarthy knows how to pick the uber-cute guys. bobby cannavale in the station agent. then haaz sleiman in the visitor.
ayayay! haaz sleiman scorches our screen.
mr. haaz, i'm waiting for your email. LOL
_____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment