Release Date:  April 25, 2008 (wide)

It was Mary Poppins who famously sang about how “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.” And waving umbrella or not, that imagery is quite fitting when describing The Visitor. Instead of opting for the oh-so-informative documentary or an intense political thriller to address the hot-button topic of illegal immigration, the filmmakers go straight for the heart with this emotionally compelling drama.

Typically the go-to-guy for supporting roles as the loving but forgettable dad or the slightly square doctor or lawyer, Richard Jenkins is the heart and soul leading man in The Visitor as Walter Vale, a prickly economics professor who isn’t having the easiest time with his recent widower status. While it seems like Walter’s got it all on the surface with an impeccable Connecticut home, a trendy Manhattan apartment for whenever he feels like hangin’ out in the city and a collection of fine wine that he enjoys with every meal, it’s clear from the outset that his life isn’t a happy one. It’s boring and ultimately, meaningless, even with all the pleasures that having money can buy.

However, when Walter heads to New York to present one of his papers at a hum-drum conference, his life takes an unexpectedly colorful detour. When Walter stops by his Manhattan digs, he discovers that two papers-free immigrants have decided that his casa is their casa. But after Walter and his two new housemates hash it out (and understandably so, given the most unusual circumstances), he reacts to the situation in a way that most wouldn’t—he takes Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira) in for as long as they need.

While it would’ve been easy for Walter to think he’d done enough by giving his new visitors a place to live, he doesn’t just act as the duo’s benevolent landlord of sorts. Instead, Walter begins to forge a friendship that’s as beneficial for him as it is for Tarek and Zainab. With Tarek, their common bond is a love for music. While Walter has taken a few piano lessons, Tarek actually made his living at it as a djembe drummer. Now supporting himself by playing shows with jazz bands throughout the Big Apple, Tarek makes it his mission to teach the rhythm-less white guy a thing or two about soul in more ways than one. And these moments are truly some of the movie’s most humorous and touching as almost a brotherly bond is created between two guys who couldn’t be more different from each other.