The Immigrant

2014

The Immigrant

Critics Consensus

Beautiful visuals, James Gray's confident direction, and a powerful performance from Marion Cotillard combine to make The Immigrant a richly rewarding period drama.

85%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 110

60%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 16,316
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Movie Info

In James Gray's THE IMMIGRANT, Ewa Cybulski (Marion Cotillard) and her sister sail to New York from their native Poland in search of a new start and the American dream. When they reach Ellis Island, doctors discover that Magda (Angela Sarafyan) is ill, and the two women are separated. Ewa is released onto the mean streets of Manhattan while her sister is quarantined. Alone, with nowhere to turn and desperate to reunite with Magda, Ewa quickly falls prey to Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix), a charming but wicked man who takes her in and forces her into prostitution. The arrival of Orlando (Jeremy Renner) - a dashing stage magician who is also Bruno's cousin - restores her self-belief and hopes for a brighter future, becoming her only chance to escape the nightmare in which she finds herself. (c) Weinstein Co

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Cast

Marion Cotillard
as Ewa Cybulski
Joaquin Phoenix
as Bruno Weiss
Jeremy Renner
as Orlando the Magician
Dagmara Dominczyk
as Belva
Yelena Solovey
as Rosie Hertz
Ilia Volok
as Voytek Bistricky
Maja Wampuszyc
as Edyta Bistricky
Jicky Schnee
as Clara
Angela Sarafyan
as Magda Cybulski
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Critic Reviews for The Immigrant

All Critics (110) | Top Critics (41)

  • The physical look of the movie is a revelation of a lost past.

    Sep 22, 2014 | Full Review…

    David Denby

    New Yorker
    Top Critic

  • The film, too, changes shape as it goes along, beginning as something resembling social realism before developing into an old-fashioned "woman's picture."

    Sep 12, 2014 | Rating: 4.5/5 | Full Review…

    Jake Wilson

    Sydney Morning Herald
    Top Critic

  • The film is an achievement. Its complex reckoning of moral decency deserves a bigger audience.

    Jun 11, 2014 | Full Review…

    Wesley Morris

    Grantland
    Top Critic

  • Gray's movie is an almost flawlessly articulated example of the kind of thing we like to say they just don't make any more: serious, adult, character-driven and impassioned.

    Jun 6, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

    Geoff Pevere

    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic

  • At times, Khondji's golden portraiture can make the characters seem encased in amber. But there's a tremendous payoff for the patient.

    Jun 5, 2014 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Peter Howell

    Toronto Star
    Top Critic

  • An astonishingly beautiful, irresistibly grim movie ...

    May 29, 2014 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review…

    G. Allen Johnson

    San Francisco Chronicle
    Top Critic
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Audience Reviews for The Immigrant

  • Sep 19, 2017
    Glossy production values undone by unsatisfying drama. Marion Cotillard wears a passively worried face throughout as the tiltular Polish Immigrant forced into selling her body to make money to secure the release of her sister at the Ellis Island infirmary. She is enabled in this pursuit by the predatory Joaquin Phoenix, whose off-the-handle acting seems several decades out of time, but give him points for elfort. Appearing as an all-tooconvenient wedge between them is Phoenix' magician cousin Jeremy Renner who takes a shine to the shy newcomer. Their conflict feels forced and phony, met with a particularly laughable conclusion. Eye-catching costumes & turn-of-the-century.period detail though.
    Doctor S Super Reviewer
  • Jan 05, 2017
    Great actors in this unique film. I recall this movie coming out a few years back, but didn't think I'd get into it. Well, I gave it a shot and it was actually pretty good. Great story.
    Nani V Super Reviewer
  • Apr 15, 2015
    This film just came out of nowhere. I really enjoyed it with some great performances.
    Ian W Super Reviewer
  • Sep 25, 2014
    Post war drama directed by James Gray, starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix, and Jeremy Renner was quite a heavy weight watching. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and I believe that it was close to the top! The working titles of the film were Low Life and The Nightingale, and I am really glad that the better name option was later discovered. The story takes us in year 1921, when a Catholic Polish woman Ewa (Marion Cotillard) and her sister Magda (Angela Sarafyan) arrive at Ellis Island, New York City as immigrants. Looking for a better life after escaping their ravaged home in post-Great War Poland did not start well. Magda is quarantined because of her lung disease, and Ewa , who was raped on the ship, is almost deported! A stranger named Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix) notices her and her fluency in English and bribes an officer to let her go. Bruno takes Ewa to his house, but soon Ewa discovers that she has to make money to get Magda out...Bruno lets her dance at the Bandits' Roost theatre but that is not enough. She becomes a prostitute for her boss Bruno who starts getting romantically interested in her as well... According to the director James Gray, the movie is "80% based on the recollections from my grandparents, who came to the United States in 1923", and he described it as "my most personal and autobiographical film to date", but he was also inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera Il Trittico. It is a significant work of art which sometimes carries a heavy burden but lacks momentum which drags the events even slower. Performances were outstanding and probably the strongest part of the cinematic experience! Worth watching!
    Panta O Super Reviewer
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