Drama Pick: The Immigrant (2013)
Imagine my surprise when I went on Netflix this week to discover James Gray’s new film The Immigrant, certainly one of the most recent additions to the streaming giant’s catalog. This excellent period drama, about a young Polish woman (Marion Cotillard) who is driven into prostitution by the sadistic pimp Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix) and soon comes into contact with a romantic magician named Orlando (Jeremy Renner), is one of the films from the first half of 2014 with the best shot at getting Oscar attention. It should shoot straight to the top of your queue. Visually splendid, terrifically acted and soaked in complex emotion, The Immigrant is spectacular.
Any film with Cotillard, Phoenix or Renner over the past few years has proven mandatory viewing, but The Immigrant offers strong work from all three. Cotillard is most affecting as the titular immigrant, a young and haunted woman who has experienced true hardship but still looks ahead to the gleaming possibility of the “American Dream.” Phoenix, too, provides a multi-layered performance that gratifyingly avoids defining Bruno as a villain, and Renner is excellent as the dashing but imperfect magician.
It’s Gray who leaves the most stunning impression, however. He’s been hailed as a deeply talented filmmaker for years, but this may just be his most towering accomplishment to date. His direction is tightly controlled but still involving, and his story is complex, compelling and sure to stick with you long after the credits have rolled.