DIRECTOR: MARTIN BOULOCQ
STARRING: ENRIQUE ARAOZ, CESAR TRONCOSO, SVET MENA, MIRELLA PASCUAL
RUNNING TIME: 1 HR 26 MINUTES
An ex-convict returns home in search of a new life and a chance to reconnect with his estranged daughter, only to be met with resistance from his father-in-law, an influential pastor from the Evangelical church.
STARRING: ENRIQUE ARAOZ, CESAR TRONCOSO, SVET MENA, MIRELLA PASCUAL
RUNNING TIME: 1 HR 26 MINUTES
An ex-convict returns home in search of a new life and a chance to reconnect with his estranged daughter, only to be met with resistance from his father-in-law, an influential pastor from the Evangelical church.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
“People will talk. People will watch you.”
The Visitor is the International Feature submission for Bolivia. After serving a three year prison sentence for an undisclosed crime, that seemed to have been spawned by his alcoholism, Humberto returns to his hometown hoping to rebuild his relationship with his teenage daughter Aleida. His daughter has been living with his wife’s wealthy parents, Carlos and Elizabeth, who are the popular leaders of an evangelical church.
As Humberto talks to a lawyer hoping to regain full custody of Aleida, he quickly realizes that he’s not in a position to do so. He first needs to reestablish himself again by finding a job, earning a solid income, and finding a house for the two of them. As a result, he is forced to submit himself to all the demands that Carlos and Elizabeth throw at him, even if it’s humiliating like attending the congregation and having to confess his sins in front of the entire church. Humberto’s journey has just begun.
Regardless of what Humberto has done in the past, his willingness to work as a singer at a funeral home, his efforts to remain sober, his attempts to re-connect with his daughter and to become a better father should be taken into account. But the leaders of the church, the ones who should be the most welcoming, aren’t accepting him. They aren’t giving him a second chance. They aren’t trying to help him. They want him to fail. And they want to punish him.
Some people have bad days and some people have bad years. Some people choose alcohol, while others choose drugs. But it’s never too late to get it right. Unfortunately, some individuals never regain the trust back from their loved ones. And even worse, some people, like Humberto, are never granted the opportunity for redemption because they aren’t given the chance from their own family, let alone strangers, even if they’re fighting and clawing their way to become a better person. In the end, they feel like a visitor.
What have you got to offer her? Martin Boulocq’s latest film subtly showcases the hypocrisy of a church that preaches goodwill yet refuses to extend its warmth to those attempting to make up for past sins.
REVIEW: B+
(This review contains spoilers.)
“People will talk. People will watch you.”
The Visitor is the International Feature submission for Bolivia. After serving a three year prison sentence for an undisclosed crime, that seemed to have been spawned by his alcoholism, Humberto returns to his hometown hoping to rebuild his relationship with his teenage daughter Aleida. His daughter has been living with his wife’s wealthy parents, Carlos and Elizabeth, who are the popular leaders of an evangelical church.
As Humberto talks to a lawyer hoping to regain full custody of Aleida, he quickly realizes that he’s not in a position to do so. He first needs to reestablish himself again by finding a job, earning a solid income, and finding a house for the two of them. As a result, he is forced to submit himself to all the demands that Carlos and Elizabeth throw at him, even if it’s humiliating like attending the congregation and having to confess his sins in front of the entire church. Humberto’s journey has just begun.
Regardless of what Humberto has done in the past, his willingness to work as a singer at a funeral home, his efforts to remain sober, his attempts to re-connect with his daughter and to become a better father should be taken into account. But the leaders of the church, the ones who should be the most welcoming, aren’t accepting him. They aren’t giving him a second chance. They aren’t trying to help him. They want him to fail. And they want to punish him.
Some people have bad days and some people have bad years. Some people choose alcohol, while others choose drugs. But it’s never too late to get it right. Unfortunately, some individuals never regain the trust back from their loved ones. And even worse, some people, like Humberto, are never granted the opportunity for redemption because they aren’t given the chance from their own family, let alone strangers, even if they’re fighting and clawing their way to become a better person. In the end, they feel like a visitor.
What have you got to offer her? Martin Boulocq’s latest film subtly showcases the hypocrisy of a church that preaches goodwill yet refuses to extend its warmth to those attempting to make up for past sins.
REVIEW: B+
