Thomas McCarthy’s The Visitor starts promisingly enough, slowly building complex relationships among eccentric characters and constructing an understated dramedy along the lines of his debut The Station Agent. Unfortunately, the movie takes a wrong turn midway, transforming into a preachy political drama. Had the director merely weaved a little commentary into his character piece, the movie could have been quite wonderful. Instead, he’s made a film that becomes frustratingly predictable as it stumbles towards an obvious conclusion.

Richard Jenkins stars as an introverted professor who visits his old Manhattan apartment and is shocked to discover two illegal immigrants living in his place. Gradually the three become friends in small, believable and funny ways, until one of them is arrested and sent to a detention centre for deportation. From that point on, the movie segues from one dry political monologue to another. The material covered in the second half is certainly relevant, but it lacks the subtle realism of the opening sequences.

The Visitor still works overall because the actors are able to play the difficult scenes remarkably well. In particular, Richard Jenkins shines as the repressed professor Walter; the veteran character actor rarely gets a lead role and excels here, perfectly capturing the complex emotions of a character who has trouble expressing himself. McCarthy directs with a simple yet compelling visual style and moves the story along at a brisk pace — it’s just a shame that he wasn’t able to make the second act of his screenplay more plausible.

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