This is a movie about a middle aged professor (Walter) who has basically lost his will to live. He has a solitary meaningless life, but a chance meating with a coupld of illegal immigrants gives him something to look forward everyday.
Music is a big reason for his change, not the classic sound of the piano, but the exciting exotic sound of the djembe, taught to him by Tarek.
Unfortunately the law catches up to Tarek, who at the end of the movie is deported to Syria. In the meantime Walter strike up a romance with Tarek’s mother, and tries his best to help him.
This is really a nice uplifting movie that has a great performance in Richard Jenkins. This role is very restrained, no big dramas or physical emotions for most of the movie, but he manages to convey perfectly his state of mind. And it’s only when he’s found new meaning in his life, that he gets more emotional and is enraged. This is a really subtle performance, and I am glad that it was recognized with an Oscar nomination.
Rating: 3.5 Stars