just watch it!

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Separated from her ill sister and facing deportation, a Polish immigrant is taken in by a burlesque show operator who may or may not have her best intentions at heart in this drama set in 1920s New York. The film holds no bars in depicting the difficulties of immigration as our disillusioned protagonist, played by Marion Cotillard, comes to accept an existence very different to what she once imagined. Cotillard's performance is rather multi-layered: simultaneously vulnerable and ruthless (resorting to stealing what she can), and simultaneously accepting of her fate and focused on achieving more. Joaquin Phoenix is also superb as the burlesque man with a breakdown scene near the end in which he finally drops all pretenses to reveal a beating human heart. Their situation is also complicated by Cotillard encountering Phoenix's estranged cousin, played by Jeremy Renner, and a love triangle develops that never quite clicks since we are unsure until the end whether Phoenix really loves her, and as it is never clear whether Renner really loves her either or just wants to make Phoenix jealous. Certainly, an animosity exists between the two cousins that the film does not explore in as much depth as it perhaps could have. Still, what the film does do well it does very, very well. It is quite rare to find a film with such a graphic insight into the harsh actual reality of the American Dream and Cotillard's character is very much one-of-a-kind. Torn between would-be saviours and false promises, she never once gives up hope, even if her own American Dream is decidedly different by the end.

The Immigrant is a beautiful movie, marked by great photography and direction, and powerful acting, all told in a play that to my mind is a morality tale for modern times. Marion Cotillard's performance is especially powerful and was deserving of an Oscar. Mr. Phoenix continues to create a body of work that will rank him among our best actors. It is the tale of a virginal young woman escaping with her sister from the horrors of war in a country where both her parents were killed. Ewa the young woman is separated from her sister, sick with lung disease, at the port of entry in 1921 New York. She is determined to get her sister back and to survive she allows herself to be helped by Bruno, the Phoenix character, a man of questionable morals who leads her into prostitution. He becomes charmed by her innocence and dedication in spite of the life he has led her into, and continues to help her hoping that her response will lead to a love for him. The interplay between the two main characters is great cinema. When Ewa gets her sister back i could feel her well earned joy, and feel sorrow for Bruno, left to be punished but finally finding salvation by helping the young woman he came to love.

The Immigrant has to be one of the most overlooked films of 2014. It only came out in limited release, but I believe the film should have received more press, especially with the talent involved. This is a sweeping melodrama that has such a captivating story that hearkens back to days of old when these kind of films were released almost weekly. This story is also a history lesson in a sense that the film gives off a vibe of 1920's New York during an era of immigration, prostitution, and Prohibition. The film shows the dangers that these foreign newcomers must face in a strange, new land.James Gray's film is about a woman named Ewa who arrives in Ellis Island with her sister, Magda after coming from Poland. The sisters are separated as tuberculosis overtaken Magda. Ewa is forced out into the NYC streets where this man named Bruno takes her under his wing in the form of prostitution. She does not like this life, but she may find a way out when she meets this magician named Orlando who promises her a new life and a chance to reunite with her sister.The acting is very, very good. A film with the three leads it has should not be confined to limited release. Joaquin Phoenix gives a very strong performance as Bruno. It seems a rather restrained performance, but great nonetheless. Speaking of great, Marion Cotillard also impresses me in her role as the scared, lost Ewa. Marion should have been nominated for an Oscar with this role. Finally, Jeremy Renner does an excellent job as Orlando, and I feel he should have more screen time.Overall, the Immigrant is a beautiful, well-acted film and it's a rare film that gives a woman this kind of role in this day and age. Not only are the actors are in fine form, this film features some amazing lush cinematography. The camera shots of 20th-century Manhattan is just beautiful. This film needed more press, but alas the lack of people seeing this movie does not stop it from being a good, old-fashioned period piece.My Grade: A-

Like, 3 stars max. I found it boring, way over-dramatic, and extremely obvious. There's no character development or any reason at all that either of those dudes would be soooo in love with her. Her character could have been 10 million times more interesting. It was like she was doing a great impression of a Polish immigrant who had a lobotomy. "I make money" "I need my money" "My sister is here" "Where is my sister" .....over and over again for 2 hours. Actors are way too good to be in something with a script that poor. No edge, no script, no reason to watch this movie. BOO. I couldn't even figure out if she was smart or dumb the entire time - what a terrible female figure - she doesn't fight against them, just kind of whimpers and goes along and spits out her "money" or "sister" line repeatedly. ugh.