Critical Analysis of The Visitor Film - Paper Example

In Tom McCarthys The Visitor, we are introduced to Walter Vale who is the leading actor in the movie. Vale is a college professor who specializes in economics. He leads a very lonely life after the death of his wife and is on the borderline of developing depression. He is laid back, can be best described as without emotion, and seems to have lost the thrill of life. He does his best to lock away his inner life and shuts out any emotion that comes his way. Consequentially, he is not left with much and keeps a glass of red wine at the ready just in case he needs to anesthetize himself further. Vale has not done any real work in a very long time. All he does is pretend that he is busy so that he can fit in the societys definition of a professor. His existence seems comfortable and cozy from outside as that is what he portrays to the world, rather what the world wants to see. However, taking a closer look at his inner life is when one can notice the various battles he is fighting (Abernethy, 2009).

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To say that Vale loved his wife would be an understatement; he thought the sun rose and set in her eyes and if she was not sure of anything else in the world, at least she was confident of his love. Safe to say, Vale, lived for her. Vale apparently has not moved on from his dead wife and has found a way to try and reconnect with her through piano lessons as she was a classical pianist. He keeps a Manhattan apartment that he rarely visit and on one of his trips to New York when he was delivering a paper, he finds out that a young couple had illegally rented and moved into the house. Whatever happens next is about to change the life of Walter Vale entirely and shake him out of his malaise. The movie explores an experience that is different from your usual family, work, community or group experiences. The differences and rationality relating to political ideology, gender, age, racial identity, spirituality, religion, economic and social status, beliefs, abilities, and sexual orientation in the movie are moving and heartfelt (Abernethy, 2009).

This is a reaction paper to the film The Visitors that will strive to analyze it based on personal impressions critically.

The first social conflict we come across in the movie revolves around sexuality. When Vale was taking a walk in his Manhattan apartment, he heard some commotion and was curious to check out who it was. He walked in on Zainab who was Tareks girlfriend, and the two had rented the house from an opportunist who knew quite a lot about the life of Vale and that he was going to be away for a long time. When Vale opens his bathroom door only to meet a naked African lady, he is equally shocked and tries his best to explain to the unsuspecting girl that he meant no harm. However, the girl is not willing to listen and believes that the old man is just some pervert who wanted to rape her. The boyfriend appears and automatically takes his girlfriends side and it is two against one. It takes them quite some time and explanation before the two can get to believe Vale (Smith, 2014).

Nevertheless, one thing is clear, the age difference between Vale and Zainab biases the couples mind into assuming that Vale had evil intentions. The issue of sexuality was the cause of social conflict in this part, and this shows that love is jealous. Moreover, it is the first instance we come across intersectionality. Age as a factor of intersectionality at the micro level reflects a multiple interlocking systems of oppression at the macrostructural level that is classism and ageism. The young couple apparently does not seem financially stable to occupy the apartment in legal terms. Their difference in age, ethnicity and economic class from that of Vale do not stop him from welcoming them aboard. It is also the first context of humanization we come across in the paper (Smith, 2014).

The theme of personal conflict is also enhanced when Vale is in a dilemma about what to do with the couple. Part of Vale wants to chase them away from his apartment so he could go on with his usual lonely life. The second part of Vale is empathetic and feels for the couple. Therefore, he wants them to stay the night as he would feel guilty kicking the couple out of his house without a place to go. It is a classic conflict of what is right and what is legal. This kind of conflict dates way back. In many cases, what is right is not always legal, and the opposite is true. In this particular case, the legal thing to do is chase the couple away or even hand them over to the authority for further investigation, but it is not humanly right. Letting the couple stay in the apartment is the right thing to do though it is not legal, the couple could be anyone; they could be terrorists, and yet Val was just housing them without being skeptical. It was as if he had known them forever. Vale makes the right choice making the couple jubilant and glad (Bastian & Haslam, 2011).

The theme of oppression is evident and enhanced in various parts of the movie. Abuse takes place in the lines of racism, nationality, economic class, and even social status. Racism and nationality are evident when Mouna who is Tereks mother hopes to help her son who is facing possible deportation due to an innocent incident at the subway that led to his arrest. There is a concept of double standards here, and the police only arrested his son because he was black, if a white boy was caught in the same exact conditions, and there are high chances he would be left free without being charged. The movie brings to our attention a very key theme of nationality and illegal U.S. residents. America is popularly known as the land of opportunities, and for that reason, people from all over the world are willing to reside here and make a fortune out of their talents, skill, and education. Unfortunately, this is hardly possible because of the racism that such immigrants have to deal with. The indifference they are treated with is dehumanizing and humiliating, to say the least. U.S. immigrants lead a life of fear of deportation because the authority and Native American citizens make their life a living hell as if they owe them something. Vale chooses not to be part of this mistaken myth of American superiority that has given rise to social conflicts. Through Vale, we see that oppression and marginalization are poor choices people make and you can always choose to be different (Bastian & Haslam, 2011).

Powerlessness is demonstrated when Mouna can do nothing to save her son from the authority no matter how much she tried. Vale uses his financial ability to help Mouna by hiring a lawyer for her son. Vale portrays various instances of strength and love in the movie. His first act of letting the young couple continue to live in his apartment is the ultimate symbol of love and consideration. He strives to empower them and fight for the rights of those who have no one to fight for them. In exchange, these random acts of charity give Vale a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment he has not been getting from anywhere else. Initially, we meet a very detached and low on life Vale, and these instances spark his soul, lift his spirits and brightens his life a little. Vale promotes the spirit of selflessness in his various acts. In a world where everybody is in a constant competition to make the most out of life, it is so easy to forget your role in the life of others. In the current times, people are willing to do just about anything for money and get ahead of other in the name of achieving their goals. However, they forget that the aim is not to be famous but to leave a mark in the world before your time expires.

An old saying motivates us to aspire to inspire before we expire. Unfortunately, this is not the case anymore; people are more than ever, focused on their needs and man for himself and God for us all seems to be the thing lately. Selfishness has found a permanent spot in our lives, and we have gladly integrated and accepted it into our culture. People are reluctant to heed the call of humanity that is to make the world a better place but instead have become self-centered and buried into their cocoons, and they could care less about the next person. This is the sad reality of the modern world, and the values of humanity we held deep are gradually but consistently fading away.

The aspect of culture and diversity is also explored in the movie. If there were one word that would describe the nature of culture, then it would be diversity. The world is full of diverse cultures each based on geographical location, religion, education, social beliefs, and lifestyles. Safe to say, despite the vast number of cultures worldwide, one language is familiar to them; the language of ethics. Social contract theory points out that peoples morals are guided by the society in which they live. The theory emphasizes the need to do what is morally in agreement with the ethical standards set by the community (SAWYER & THOROUGHGOOD, 2012). Every member of the society has specified obligations that he or she must perform and that guide in the decision-making process.

In reality, people must make decisions that favor the society in general or their acquaintances to avoid public backlash. In The Visitor, Vale goes against this public myth and does the complete opposite by helping a couple from a different culture. He further goes ahead and helps defend Mounas son from police brutality. Many events in the contemporary society go against the principles of normative theory. In recent years, the US has witnessed demonstrations by minority groups decrying the increasing police brutality against them. The black-Americans are more affected by police brutality than other minority groups. The police are in the US are accused of being aggressive against black people as evidenced by several killings of innocent black people (SAWYER & THOROUGHGOOD, 2012).

References

Abernethy, C. (2009). Movie Review: The Visitor. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 4(1), 81-84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15401380802705409

Bastian, B. & Haslam, N. (2011). Experiencing Dehumanization: Cognitive and Emotional Effects of Everyday Dehumanization. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 33(4), 295-303. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01973533.2011.614132

SAWYER, K. & THOROUGHGOOD, C. (2012). Culture Doesn't Just Intersect With Diversity, Culture Defines Diversity. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 5(3), 346-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2012.01456.x

Smith, D. (2014). Dehumanization, Essentialism, and Moral Psychology. Philosophy Compass, 9(11), 814-824. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12174