The Immigrant

I was quite impressed with this movie directed by James Gray, who previously pulled-off a beautiful little film like Two Lovers, a mostly dialogue-based film that reached amazing realism. Working again with Joaquin Phoenix (Bruno), Gray here casts the beautiful French actress Marion Cotillard (Ewa), the Polish “immigrant” of the title, and Jeremy Renner in a secondary role. The story takes place in New York after WWI, when Ellis Island became the European gateway to the U.S. The social portrait of those days is just brilliant, with its yellowish photography and the detailed ugliness of the everyday life. In this pot-boiler of hope and hopelessness in equal measure, Gray provides a vivid background to the characters emotional turmoil -- fleshing out a plot where simple and universal words like deceit, honor and guilt acquire poignant human dimension. As mentioned, the excellent cinematography makes The Immigrant a visual experience as well, but mostly, what we take home with us is the harrowing presence of Joaquin Phoenix who, once again, tears out the souls of the audience, forcing us to confront the shaky moral center that lies within every great drama.