**** out of ****
James Gray’s The Immigrant, stars Marion Cotillard as a Polish
woman who arrives on Ellis Island in 1921 only to have her accompanying sister
quarantined for tuberculosis while other factors give cause for the possibility
of immediate deportation. A seemingly kind man, played by Joaquin Phoenix,
comes to her help and bribes one of the officers to allow her to leave the
island with him. His ulterior motive becomes clear when he slowly lures her in
to a life of burlesque shows and prostitution. He convinces her that she can earn enough money
through him to get her sister back. Later, she meets a charming magician,
played by Jeremy Renner, who wants to rescue her from this terrible life.
I can’t stress how beautifully this film is made while
framing a despairing story of someone’s bitter entrance to the “land of
opportunity.” In spite of some nudity and language, the film has a very classic
tone in its drama and story of hope overcoming harsh circumstances. I highly
recommend this one.
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