A young boy who has been raised by his uncle awaits for his real father’s arrival from abroad. When he understands all his friends have a mother beside their fathers he suddenly begins to wish that instead of his returning father the heavens would reward him with a mother too. The outcome will be as surprising as it will be… a little confusing.
Leandro Corinto’s ‘The Visit’ approaches the delicate theme of gay and transgender parents, setting off on a journey meant to bring down the prejudicial boundaries. It is not the shocking theme and neither is it a shocking manner of making the film that makes ‘The Visit’ a successful short; it is Leandro Corinto’s gentle vision, his ability of seeing it all through the innocent eyes of his young character and portraying it all in warm colours from behind the camera.
Leandro Corinto’s characters emanate a lot of humanity from behind the difficult situations they have to cope with: ‘the uncle’ that raised the boy as a father has to introduce him now to his real father (who is in fact a transgender); the real father is being feverish about how the boy is going to react and the boy himself is anxious about meeting his parent but his heart aches for something different (a mother).
All characters hide a deep desire of harmony in the backstage of their feelings and apparent wishes. But while the child yearns for a harmonious family for himself, the two modern parents’s wishes are not held for themselves but they harden the child’s. This power of empathising with the ‘fragile’ makes a humane view out of ‘The Visit’.
It is just touching watching Leandro Corinto build the story of ‘The Visit’ and make it unfold through the young boy’s eyes.
TMFF RATING:
