The Visitor is a film about a mute farm boy whose father has recently been imprisoned. He lives with his very young looking mother, a woman who doesn't say much to him. As you can imagine, this is a very quiet movie with few lines of dialogue. The early scenes of the movie focus on the work that the boy does to maintain the farm, as well as the the time he spends exploring the scenic countryside. There are definitely some Romantic touches here; J.-P. Valkeapää pulls out all the stops to show how appealing nature can be and there are even some stone ruins nearby. Really, the strong point is not even so much the scenery itself, though, it's the marvelous use of unusual camera angles and reflected image that makes the early sequences so amazing.
Before long the plot gets started when the Visitor shows up; he's a stranger with a fairly serious injury that it takes a considerable amount of time to recover from. The boy is very cautious of him, especially when it becomes clear that he is likely one of the father's criminal associates. Even after his recovery seems complete the Visitor doesn't immediately leave, though, and a good portion of the film concerns his interactions with the boy and the mother.
This is not the kind of film you really watch for the plot, though, its appeal is atmosphere and visuals. It's a film that will only be enjoyed by the art-house crowd that likes long, contemplative takes and striking visual compositions. Some of the visual tactics combined with the actions of the mostly silent characters reminded me of silent film-making at its best. I felt that the film went on a bit too long and it was just a bit too mysterious, particularly near the end, but it's still quite worth seeing.
Before long the plot gets started when the Visitor shows up; he's a stranger with a fairly serious injury that it takes a considerable amount of time to recover from. The boy is very cautious of him, especially when it becomes clear that he is likely one of the father's criminal associates. Even after his recovery seems complete the Visitor doesn't immediately leave, though, and a good portion of the film concerns his interactions with the boy and the mother.
This is not the kind of film you really watch for the plot, though, its appeal is atmosphere and visuals. It's a film that will only be enjoyed by the art-house crowd that likes long, contemplative takes and striking visual compositions. Some of the visual tactics combined with the actions of the mostly silent characters reminded me of silent film-making at its best. I felt that the film went on a bit too long and it was just a bit too mysterious, particularly near the end, but it's still quite worth seeing.