A man who “looks like a terrorist” finds himself in a potentially dangerous situation and decides to turn it to his advantage. But his spur-of-the-moment decision has darkly comic consequences.
This thought-provoking dramatic short is self-contained and compact in scale, featuring excellent writing, acting and pacing that maintains its surprise and tension throughout. Moments of levity are interlaced through the tense situation, but the film grapples with serious questions of how stereotypes perpetuate themselves, all without being a stereotype itself.
With subtle cleverness and sly intelligence, “The Visit” examines the almost primal power and emotions that drive prejudices — and how they shape and mold our interactions, even when we’re least aware of it.