MOVIE REVIEW: The Visitor

 

This 2022 film follows a man and his wife who move into her childhood home upon the death of her father and the miscarriage of their first baby. The husband, Robert, who is from England, is having trouble adapting to the American lifestyle, and his culture shock is made worse by the fact that the town into which they have moved seems to have no end of citizens who act and speak to him strangely. Compounding this is the fact that, in the attic of their new home, he finds a painting of a man who looks exactly like him, and this is only the first of many portraits of the same man that he finds located throughout the town. As time passes, he comes to suspect that there are secrets that the town is hiding that are not only terrifying, but will effect the future of himself, his wife, and the child that they are now expecting.

This stars Finn Jones, a relative newcomer whose past roles include 2021’s Awake and 2017’s miniseries The Defenders. Jessica McNamee (Mortal Combat) plays his wife, and Donna Biscoe (best known for her role in the soap opera Saints & Sinners) appears as an antique shop owner who tries to warn Robert that something bad is happening. Originally produced for digital release on the Epix platform, this is a neat little story about a man becoming increasingly convinced that he has landed in the middle of a nightmare, and is continually frustrated by his seeming inability to do anything about it. There is very little strong language, no erotica, and basically no violence. It is purely a psychological buildup to a tantalizing ending. Older teens may appreciate this, but young children may not have the patience to allow the suspense to carry them to the end. However, this is a really good little movie and well worth the time.