The Visitor

Walter Vale is a sullen, lonely economics professor in Connecticut, teaching only one class--the same one he's taught for 20 years--ostensibly so he can work on his book, but he isn't; while he's 'co-authoring' with a tenure-tracked colleague, his connection is in name only, nor does he want anything to do with it. Although he has no aptitude for it, his one desire is to learn to play the piano to feel connected to his deceased pianist wife. On a business trip to New York City, he finds two people living in the seldom-used apartment he has there: Syrian drummer Tarek Khalil and his girlfriend, Senegalese-born jewelry maker Zainab, who were duped by an acquaintance into believing they were renting the apartment. As Tarek and Zainab have nowhere to go, Walter allows them to stay in his apartment temporarily. Although Zainab feels uncomfortable around Walter, Tarek draws him into his life through their shared love of music, especially Tarek's African drumming. Their acquaintance evolves into genuine friendship and reawakens Walter to life. A misunderstanding on the subway leads to Tarek's arrest and the revelation that Tarek and Zainab are illegal immigrants. After he is transferred to an immigration detention center in Queens, Walter hires an immigration lawyer and acts as liaison between Tarek and Zainab. Tarek's mother, Michigan-based Mouna Khalil, comes to New York unexpectedly because she hasn't heard from her son in days. She too is in the U.S. illegally and cannot visit Tarek. Helping Tarek becomes Walter's new focus in life and his means to re-enter the world of the living.