Walter Vale (Richard “Six Feet Under” Jenkins) is a college Professor whose been teaching the same course for twenty long years. Much of those years he’s been a lonely widow. When he travels to New York City for a conference, and turns the key to his barely-ever-used apartment, he finds Tarek and Zainab (Haaz Sliman and Danai Gurira) are living there. As the story unfolds, Walter finds himself feeling like a visitor in his own home as we slowly see his life become something it’s long needed – something that has soul, heart and a little musical beat. At the same time, the story’s enlightened and light plot unexpectedly turns to something dark yet realistic and finally hopeful. Or not. And throughout the movie we watch Walter relive his long buried chivalrous ways – giving him purpose again – especially in his attempts to rescue Mouna (Hiam Abbass) when she arrives on the scene as Tarek’s desperate mother. A touching movie that’s pacing is close to perfect. Its highs are truly high, it’s lows – truly honest and low. And in the end the reality of the subject matter of deporting an illegal citizen makes us want to challenge the system. One of the smartest films of the year. Four tiaras
