Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
The Visitor is about a young couple, Cibrâil (Sinan Hancili) and Christine (Martina Hesse) living in Berlin. When Christine’s gay cousin, Marco (Engin Sert), comes to stay with them, Cibrâil becomes interested in him sexually.
Some Thoughts:
The Visitor is a film about sexual awakening and not much more. Cibrâil is curious about his girlfriend’s cousin, Marco, but that’s about all we get.
Marco is comfortable with himself and willing to explore his surroundings. We see him visiting gay bars, picking up men, and having sex in the woods. Cibrâil is bit of a mystery. Cibrâil doesn’t seem happy with his relationship from the first scene, but we never know why.
The scenes where Cibrâil is with Christine feel cold and sterile. They don’t seem to be interested in each other, and the film never tries to explain why they’re together.
The erotic tension in the film comes from Cibrâil and his sudden interest in Marco. Since we don’t know much about Cibrâil’s relationship with Christine, we can only assume that he’s been questioning his sexuality and Marco’s arrival was the tipping point for him. But that’s just a guess.
Aside from that, there’s not much to the film. Knowing more about Cibrâil and Christine’s relationship would help. And since we’re left in the dark about so much of Cibrâil, it’s difficult to feel invested in his story.
The Final Verdict:
Although The Visitor is visually appealing, there’s not enough to chew on to hold your interest.
