This film is not recommended.
The Immigrant tells the story of the long and arduous journey many had to take in search of a better life. Unfortunately for moviegoers, the film is a long and arduous journey as well, in search of a better script.
Writer/director James Grey fashions an old-fashion melodramatic tale of an innocent young woman on hard times, trying to survive amid many hardships. Ewa (Marion Cotillard) and her sickly sister, Magda, are coming to America. Magda has one cough too many and is immediately quarantined while Ewa faces deportation. Befriended by a kind stranger named Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix), Ewa becomes his beautiful pawn and is thrown into the world of human trafficking. The plot resembles a cheap dime-store novel, especially when Bruno's cousin, Emil a.k.a. Orlando the Magician (Jeremy Renner), enters the scene to whisk Ewa away from the sinful life of prostitution and lead her to the road of redemption. Yes, magic is certainly needed to make one believe this claptrap.
The actors try to make the story convincing but they are adrift with one clichéd scene after another. Phoenix has his moments, but he tends to over emote and Renner is simply wasted as a one-dimensional love interest. The only redeeming quality in the film is Ms. Cotillard's performance. Even if one never believes in the stilted dialog and predictable outcome of the story, the actress has that rare quality due to her nuanced acting choices and her innate beauty. She radiates as the camera goes in for its many close-ups. (There once were actresses that had that instant photographic allure...Swanson, Garbo, Dietrich come to mind. Cotillard has that screen essence. Let's hope she has better film properties in the future.
Grey's film may have been a labor of love, with an emphasis on the word "labor", Production values are strong, especially so with this independent film's limited budget. But the end result, while admirable, is a muddle. The Immigrant may give us the tired and the poor, but it is the huddled masses sitting in the movie theater that are yearning to be free as they clamor for the nearest exit. GRADE: C
Visit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.com
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com
The Immigrant tells the story of the long and arduous journey many had to take in search of a better life. Unfortunately for moviegoers, the film is a long and arduous journey as well, in search of a better script.
Writer/director James Grey fashions an old-fashion melodramatic tale of an innocent young woman on hard times, trying to survive amid many hardships. Ewa (Marion Cotillard) and her sickly sister, Magda, are coming to America. Magda has one cough too many and is immediately quarantined while Ewa faces deportation. Befriended by a kind stranger named Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix), Ewa becomes his beautiful pawn and is thrown into the world of human trafficking. The plot resembles a cheap dime-store novel, especially when Bruno's cousin, Emil a.k.a. Orlando the Magician (Jeremy Renner), enters the scene to whisk Ewa away from the sinful life of prostitution and lead her to the road of redemption. Yes, magic is certainly needed to make one believe this claptrap.
The actors try to make the story convincing but they are adrift with one clichéd scene after another. Phoenix has his moments, but he tends to over emote and Renner is simply wasted as a one-dimensional love interest. The only redeeming quality in the film is Ms. Cotillard's performance. Even if one never believes in the stilted dialog and predictable outcome of the story, the actress has that rare quality due to her nuanced acting choices and her innate beauty. She radiates as the camera goes in for its many close-ups. (There once were actresses that had that instant photographic allure...Swanson, Garbo, Dietrich come to mind. Cotillard has that screen essence. Let's hope she has better film properties in the future.
Grey's film may have been a labor of love, with an emphasis on the word "labor", Production values are strong, especially so with this independent film's limited budget. But the end result, while admirable, is a muddle. The Immigrant may give us the tired and the poor, but it is the huddled masses sitting in the movie theater that are yearning to be free as they clamor for the nearest exit. GRADE: C
Visit my blog at: www.dearmoviegoer.com
ANY COMMENTS: Please contact me at: jadepietro@rcn.com