The Visitor (2007) on Netflix
Walter Vale, an economics professor in Connecticut, travels to New York City for a conference. In his Manhattan apartment he finds a young couple, Tarek, a drummer from Syria, and Zainab.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.6/1046,574 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes90%
Trailer
Plot summary
Walter Vale lives alone in Connecticut, where he teaches one economics class and takes piano lessons, hoping to keep some link to his late wife, a concert pianist. He is named as co-author of a book he has barely touched. Asked to present the paper at a conference in New York City, he goes to his seldom-used Manhattan apartment and finds two people living there. Tarek, a drummer from Syria, and Zainab, a jewelry designer from Senegal, had given money to a man named Ivan who said the apartment was his. With nowhere else to go, they stay, and Tarek begins teaching Walter to play the djembe. Zainab keeps her distance from Walter at first.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Visitor (2007)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Before this role Sleiman had never played the drums and had to practice three hours a day for a month and a half. After watching a documentary on Fela Kuti, he came up with the idea for Tarek to rehearse in his underwear.
- McCarthy started the story with the characters of Tarek and Walter and first began writing during a state-sponsored visit to the Middle East. He says he had "an especially great connection with the people I met in Beirut" and didn't consider the immigration angle until he returned to New York City.
- A musical adaptation of The Visitor premiered at The Public Theater in previews on October 16, 2021 and officially opened on November 4 that year.
