Despite its Hollywood easy touch, this film a wonderful example of gentle intelligence, which shows how people can grow and learn when they face the unfamiliar and unexpected with openness and generosity.

Although illegal immigration is central to the narrative this film is not about the difficulties faced by illegal immigrants in the United States and it does not focus on characters which are "representative". The Visitor is about a man's journey of self discovery which has as its backdrop a complex interwoven world of music, rhythm, generosity and friendship.

Richard Jenkin's acting is simply fantastic and he deserves all of the various nominations and awards he has received. He incarnates a reserved, shy, traditional man, floating lost through the routine of life, whose eyes are opened by a world he did not know.

All of the main characters of this film are unwaveringly beautiful and good. A little anodyne maybe, but it is enjoyable to find a thoughtful film which shows humility and reverence towards forgotten human strengths and realities.