THE VISITOR -- Pasolini Misunderstood

Review by Sean Boelman

The pairing of Canadian provocateur Bruce La Bruce (The Misandrists) with the source material of the infamous Pier Paolo Pasolini (Saló, or the 120 Days of Sodom) seems like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, The Visitor delivers on little of that promise — an exercise in grotesque style-over-substance that, while aesthetically intriguing, doesn’t amount to a particularly rewarding experience. 

Billed as a “pornographic remake” of Pasolini’s Teorema, The Visitor tells the story of a refugee who infiltrates the lives of an upper-class family, seducing them one by one and causing them to have a spiritual awakening. Frankly, if you’ve seen any of La Bruce’s past work, you know what you’re getting into. And while the ambition of this project is admirable, it’s not always as thoughtful as it wants to be.

La Bruce clearly has a lot on his mind, and while this concept seems like it could be fertile ground to explore his anger — anti-capitalism, anti-colonialism — it’s all a bit frustratingly executed. Although it clearly wasn’t the intention, there are certain points at which the film treads dangerously close to the “magical negro” stereotype, even if La Bruce is ridiculing the white characters.

The most frustrating thing about The Visitor, though, is how painfully direct it can be. Everything La Bruce wants the audience to know is delivered via an expositional newscast voiceover or as on-screen text. Although lines like “eat out the rich” are enough to get a decent chuckle, they’re also frustrating in how they bash the viewer over the head with the message.

As a result, the movie feels like it is missing the substance that really sets apart Pasolini’s work. Although Pasolini’s films are certainly shocking, and subtle is not a word the filmmaker had in his dictionary, they built to something. The political message came first, and the shock was just a method to convey it. With The Visitor, it feels like La Bruce wants to shock, and the message is simply the justification to do so.

Unfortunately, the movie runs out of steam far too quickly. The edgiest and most provocative moments happen early on, and the rest of the film largely feels like it’s just weird for the sake of being weird. The final act, largely devoid of sexual content, somehow feels even more meandering than the belligerent barrage of depravity that proceeds it. 

On one hand, the over-the-top performances work in the movie’s favor to an extent. What we are watching is meant to be exaggerated and theatrical, so it’s fitting that nothing feels rooted in reality. However, this undermines the character development in many ways. Bishop Black’s performance never feels particularly mysterious. The rest of the cast is never particularly alluring. The dynamics don’t entirely work.

In many ways, The Visitor seems like someone trying to imitate the work of Pasolini without truly understanding the essence of the filmmaker’s substance. As a stylistic exercise, it works and can be pretty entertaining. However, it’s frustrating that Bruce La Bruce didn’t take this opportunity to make something more meaningful.

The Visitor premiered at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.

Rating: 2.5/5