Review of The Immigrant (2013) by Jorge D — 23 Aug 2014

James Grays' "The Immigrant" starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jeremy Renner. Right away, when you see the cast you definitely think, "Wow, now I REALLY can't believe I've never heard of this before". Long story short, this was one of those films that had limited theater release and if you weren't in a big city, you most likely missed it.

The film tells the story of Ewa (pronounced "Ava" in the film by Marion Cotillard) and her experiences as she and her sister immigrate from Poland to the United States in 1921. During processing on Ellis island, her sister is taken from her due to her medical condition and she is told that if she does not show signs of improvement, she will be sent back to Poland. Meanwhile, Ewa isn't allowed into the country due to an unspecified event that left her labeled as "immoral" so she is initially deported. She then meets the charming Bruno Weiss (Joaquin Phoenix) who rescues her from her situation and brings her into the city and promises food, shelter, and work so that she can raise enough money to pay for her sisters medical release. Soon enough, we see that Bruno is not what he seems and that he is masking his theatre group into what is really a brothel and Ewa is thrust into prostitution. We watch Ewa as she becomes both mentally and physically traumatized by her degradation but she realizes that this is all she has and all she can do to get to her sister.

Along comes the charismatic Orlando the Magician (Jeremy Renner) who entertains throughout the city and on Ellis island and becomes infatuated with Ewa upon the first time they meet eyes. He is charming, kind, and seems like Ewas opportunity to escape her present nightmare. However, what seems like an opportunity for freedom becomes cloudy as we begin to find out more about Orlando's past, specifically his past involvements with Bruno. Bruno also begins to show signs of change as well and we begin to question whether or not he is as evil as he initially seemed.

The film takes place before the Great Depression but you get that kind of feel from it. Ewas' experience is one similarly shared by millions of other immigrants as they came to America, through Ellis Island, in pursuit of that mythical "American Dream" and what many found instead was poverty and deception. We watch as Ewa came in as a symbol of purity (her flashbacks show her in all white) and throughout her time in America we watch society sully her and break her spirit as she becomes someone who shames herself and her family. We see characters like Bruno and Orlando who are the way they are because of the society they live in. They are often not proud of their past and there are flickers of their display of regret over who they have become and what they do to survive and live up to the "American Dream".

Overall, it's definitely one of the best films i've seen on Netflix in awhile and it really deserves a watch , especially if you are into that era of history like myself.