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Thomas McCarthy is an actor who has been in a lot of good films and TV series you probably have seen — MEET THE PARENTS, SYRIANA, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, MICHAEL CLAYTON, THE WIRE, LAW & ORDER. But even when I look at his picture his face doesn’t stick out from those productions. This is not a criticism, just an observation. However, his directing and writing work is unforgettable. I placed his 2003 feature debut STATION AGENT at #3 on my top-25 list from that year. His latest film will certainly be among the top of my 2008 best of list as well.

Prof. Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins, BURN AFTER READING) is a sad man, just going through the motions of life. When he’s asked to present a paper he co-authored at a conference, he tells a friend that he doesn’t feel comfortable doing so because his co-author really did all the work. With no alternative, he travels from Connecticut, where he teaches, to New York City where he has kept an apartment for years, but rarely visits. When he arrives, he discovers Tarek (Haaz Sleiman, TV’s 24) and Zainab (Danai Jekesai Gurira, GHOST TOWN) living in his place. Someone has scammed them into thinking the apartment was open for rent. Because they have no place to go, Walter kindly allows them to stay until they can find someplace to go.

Tarek is from Syria and Zainab is from Senegal. Both are in the States illegally, which makes Zainab very reluctant to trust the older, white Walter. Tarek does not feel the same way, as a man full of joy. Tarek and Walter find a quick connection in their love of music. Tarek plays the djembe and begins to teach Walter how to play. After a few days, Tarek takes his new student to the park to perform. On their way back, however, Tarek is picked up by the police in the subway over a mistake. He is taken to a detention center. Zainab is scared, but surprisingly relieved when Walter decides to play for a lawyer. After five days of not hearing from Tarek, his mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass, MUNICH) arrives from Michigan and wants to know what has happened to her son.

What often makes actors good writers is their attention to character details. McCarthy crafts roles with nuanced personalities. Particularly watch Zainab’s differing initial reactions to Walter and then Mouna. Walter is his central subject. He is a kind man, but he can be a condescending jerk when unknowingly touchy subjects are brought up. As the characters change over the course of the story, Tarek’s change is the most heartbreaking, especially because McCarthy never pushes it into melodrama.

What often makes actors good directors is their ability to sympathize and understand their cast. Few films have one award worthy performance, this one has four. Jenkins is seriously receiving consideration for an Oscar nod. However, subtly is too often overlooked. Watch how he uses his eyes and you’ll understand how he abandoned acting conventions and just became the character. Sleiman is electric as Tarek and serves as the soul of the film. Gurira brings such depth to her character, which so easily could have been just the girlfriend. Abbass gives Mouna a quiet bravery and innocent charm. She will do what she wants and asserts herself with a never overbearing firmness. While the world has made her cautious, it has not dampened her spirit.

I really hope we do not have to wait another four years for another film from McCarthy. When your first film is amazing and you follow it up with an equally wonderful film, you’re the real thing. Filled with the joy of living, the film is a bittersweet look at the universal human condition. Walter, Tarek and Mouna couldn’t have come from more different backgrounds, but they find a common bond. It’s also a call for treating everyone with dignity. The U.S. immigration system is broken. Muslim doesn’t mean terrorist. Illegal doesn’t always mean criminal either. McCarthy attempts to put a face to the faceless that get caught up in a bureaucracy that treats everyone like children… or worse. If we lose our diversity because of fear then we lose a part of the American spirit.

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