Movie: The Immigrant

The Immigrant:  a drama set in 1921 New York.  The film opens with a shot of the Statue of Liberty and two young women standing in line on Ellis Island.  The women are sisters, Ewa and Angela.  A medical clearance is required before the sisters can enter the U.S.  Angela has a cough and is held on the Island.  Ewa has a separate problem with the immigration officer.  Something happened during the voyage from Poland and Ewa is accused of being of low moral character and banished to a separate line for deportation to Poland.  Ewa then meets Bruno Weiss and her life changes as the film leads us down a fascinating but dark road to survival.  Joaquin Phoenix plays Bruno and he is outstanding.  Marion Cotillard plays Ewa, a woman whose raison d’etre is to gain her sister’s release into the U.S.  Ewa is a difficult character but Cotillard’s acting makes Ewa believable.  Corruption, including bribery at Ellis Island, moves the storyline forward.  To say much more would detract from the film’s impact.  Bruno is a complex character.  The sisters are Catholic; Bruno is Jewish.  While religion does plays a role in the story, this film is not about bigotry, notwithstanding the police’ use the word “kike” more than once.  The Immigrant is a story about surviving in America.  James Gray is the director and, along with the late Richard Menello, the co-writer.  This two hour film is not the typical uplifting Hollywood immigrant story.  Further, in this particular story, the parts are greater than the whole primarily because the story itself is a downer.  In addition to uniformly excellent acting, the photography and the film’s pace set a tone that compliments the dialogue.  Most of the scenes take place on the Lower East Side of New York.  The look of the film is consistent with the sepia stills you’ve probably seen over the years.  There are also some subtitles as not all the dialogue is in English.  The cinematographer is Darius Khondji and his work, coupled with the excellent acting, results in a film worth seeing.  But be warned - you may leave the theatre depressed as The Immigrant is a grim story.