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It was one of those days where i felt like i should watch an actual drama, drama that makes me feel something, and i'm glad i chose this movie.
Although the story is really sad, but i felt so good watching this movie, in fact i didn't want it to end, i don't remember watching a movie before that i didn't want to end, maybe because it was so heartwarming and beautiful, the movie was very well executed, that it made me feel awkward when i should feel awkward, it made me feel sad when i should be sad, everything was right on the spot.
It's a story about an old professor (played by Richard Jenkins), living the normal, boring academic life, feeling frustrated all the time, so he want to learn the piano so he can feel like he achieved something, or know something outside his academic life, so he gets invited to an event in New York, and since he already have an apartment there for 25 years that used to go to every-time he's in New York, he walks into his apartment to find a couple has been living there for two weeks, and because he's very nice and they don't have anywhere to go, he tell them to stay until they find another place, and he gets to know them, Tarek (played by Haaz Sleiman) is a guy who flee Syria and now living in New York playing the African drum and his girlfriend Zainab (played by Danai Gurira) is a Muslim women from Senegal, so Tarek starts to teach Walter the African drum, so he goes out with him few times and due to a misunderstanding at the train station, Tarek get's arrested, then we find out that Tarek along with his girlfriend and mother are illegal immigrants who never got the green card and they escaped the system.
Things starts evolving and walter tries to help tarek by hiring a lawyer for him, and tarek mother (played by Hiam Abbass) move in with walter, and a spark happen between them, it's kinda a romance, sometimes very awkward (because it should) and 100% pure reality, which made this movie so enjoyable, aside from the fantastic performances by everybody, the movie is very powerful, showing you how the system is very hard for immigrants as they try everything they can do not to screw up and yet somehow they end up either in prisons or deported, and the movie says so much without actually saying anything, that was what beautiful about it, showing you the struggles that Arab and/ or Muslims have been dealing with after 9/11 and how are they treated in the United States, and it's all very real, and very heartbreaking.
The movie have a very sad ending, kinda expected, but fully satisfying, and the whole atmosphere of the movie was very beautiful, Richard Jenkins is such an adorable guy, i always knew that he's a great actor, but he never took a leading role before, or at least a memorable role, but his performance here is something i never seen before, it's very touching and powerful, along with an equally fantastic performance by Hiam Abbass.
Overall, it's a very touching story that made me feel, sad, happy and so many other things, and i'm kinda surprised that such a movie isn't underrated or bashed by critics, because i don't think Americans would actually appreciate such a story about Immigrants and their struggles, a movie that shines a light on a broken system that had arrested, imprisoned and deported so many people since 9/11.
7/10
