Review of The Immigrant (2013) by House M — 04 Apr 2014

Great film by James Gray. Along with Little Odessa, this is one of his best movies. Why? First of all, cinematography is stunning so as his creation of New York in the 1920s. Secondly, the story is very touching and honest, with two main characters beautifully played by Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix.

It's good to see the first time Gray gives a woman the main role and the first time the French actress has a leading role in an American production. She did a really good job, especially when it comes to her Polish accent.

Well done! Phoenix is brilliant too. Renner is fine but his character didn't have enough time to build a strong relationship with viewers, although his participation here is quite important. In general, The Immigrant is an amazing melodrama and, honestly, it could have been a silent film in my opinion.

Face's expressions, score and most scenes of it could have been shot without any dialogue because that's how good Gray was in capturing the cast's performances. Sometimes I felt that Ewa was too naive and Bruno deserved a more profound analysis but they were very well developed.

Watch it!