In this critically acclaimed film Six Feet Under's Richard Jenkins plays a college professor visiting New York for a conference who finds himself caught up in the lives of two illegal immigrants desperate to stay together in the US. We are introduced to Professor Walter Vale as a man drifting through life on auto-pilot after the death of his wife but when he finds a Syrian man (Tarek) and a Senegalese woman (Zainab) subletting his apartment in New York he is shaken out of his stupor and offered the chance to look afresh at life represented by Tarek's desire to teach him how to play the West African drum known as a Djembe.
The movie plays out in a very measured way never becoming sensational about the deportation threat of a Syrian man in a post 9/11 America. A very real and human face was put on the issue and I think alot of people seeing the movie would have been amazed at how harsh the system can treat individuals. It is shot beautifully in and around New York avoiding landmarks and instead opting to show a city that reflects the mood of its people from the drummers of Central Park to graffitied shutters in Queens. It is also worth mentioning the exceptional soundtrack which supports the story being told so well bringing Walters world of classical music together with Tarek and Zainab's love of Fela Kuti.
Rating: ****
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