The visitor, Home

The Visitor 3*

About a 60ish professor who taught for 20 years the same syllabus, pretends to write a book, and presents a paper written by a colleague upon demand - he didnt really want to do it, but the system requires him to do it. His wife an accomplished pianist already passed away, and he tries to liven up his life by learning the piano. But no talent, he dismissed 4 teachers one after another.

On his way to NY apartment, he found two people living in his place by some trickery - but the two young people are upright, so he invites them to stay. The young woman being cautious about the motif of the prof.

Finally friendship develops he starts to play the african drum - an instrument that you dont think - aboveall you must not think to play well. He starts to have a new budding friendship, life, life is budding in him. But, the young man by some turn of events was expulsed to Syria. His mother comes to visit, an upright woman of an age suitable for him, he feels something stirring, a soft warm hope of some small beginning. But as the young man gets explused his mother also decides to go back to Syria to accompany him, and never to return. (Illegal immigrants can never return)

So we see the plane takes off, and the prof goes to the subway to play furiously on a bench in the underground.

I said, how come, in his age, he has money, he has nothing more to do, career already accomplished, why doesnt he go to Syria? My friend says, you are so Hollywoodian, this is unreal, people have not begun anything. The ending is better like this. And I said, yes, I know contemporary movies are "realistic", and Hollywoodian movies are too much, but still - in his situation, what stops him from going to Syria? Even for one month; two months, it would still be happiness for everyone. Why must he stop at limiting himself by playing the drums in the subway?
At his age, it would be hard to find a suitable age woman for himself, he could find young girls, but the ideal one, the mature stylish upright one is hard to come by. Why does he not follow through, just to see? He has the means... and time to do it.


Home 3*

Isabelle Hupert plays a mother who loves her family living in a home situated next to a highway. Initially its an abandonned highway, so, calm and normal home living. But later, the highway opens, noise, etc. coming. And the behavior of the children testing the patience of the mother. Finally they put some concrete blocks and block up the whole house. The home gets messier, dirtier, people cant breath. The mother is at the end of her strength, she collapses. Sleeps like dead. Then one day she waits up, takes a hammer and slege hammer herself out of the concrete block wall, and sun comes in and fresh air. The whole family goes outside of the house and back ground music : Nina Simone sings Wild Wind Blows, the music is so soulful and free.
A very good movie, works on many levels. The Director is a young woman, she says this is a movie about Switzerland. Thats whats it like there. Seemingly clean but dirt and dust comes in everywhere, people are stuck.

I thought it could be a movie about any family, any woman; any mother feels like this sometime in their life.

By chance, my movie going buddy talked about the mother of a friend, who was a business woman, after she raised her kids, and sold her business, she doesnt know what to do , has no interest, she goes to casino - private ones - and owes tens and thousands of euros, that the son has to pay for. Its an illness - gambling. But what happens afterwards, if you dont gamble? there is nothing else. I think it is so important to have interests in life. But everyone feels stuck after a while... what else is there to do?