The Visitor (Cibrail) DVD Review

Though the English DVD title is The Visitor, the actual title of the film is Cibrail, which is the main character’s name, not the German word for “visitor.” Cibrail tells the tale of a rather quiet man who is in a steady relationship (though not married), and working as a patrolman in Berlin. His real passion seems to be getting in shape for a marathon (one that he may never run). When Marco, his girlfriend’s gay cousin, arrives, Cibrail finds himself attracted to him, throwing his whole life into question.

The film introduces us to Cibrail and Christine in bed, and immediately we sense a problem. For Cibrail is awake while Christine is asleep beside him in the greys of early morning. He does not look at her, but rather gets up and dresses and goes for a jog.

This is a sweet, quiet film, showing us their lives in short, visual scenes without explanations or pointless exposition. There is a quiet intensity to it. You find yourself caught up in Cibrail’s world very quickly. It is a world of greys and blacks, with both he and Christine dressed in dark and somber colors (even when he goes jogging). She sleeps in a grey tank top.

He’s a policeman, which we learn when we see him change into his jacket that says Police on the back. (I love that so much of his character is revealed visually rather than through dialogue.) He and his partner (and Cibrail is clearly the junior partner here) go to the scene of a robbery. It’s a fairly routine crime, without any real drama, which makes it both feel more real and shows that Cibrail’s life is fairly easy and routine. (After all, a policeman is an occupation one might normally think of as exciting.)

Things change when Christine gets a call from her cousin Marco in Rome. He wishes to stay with them for a week while he enjoys Berlin’s nightlife. But what I love is that his presence doesn’t change things immediately. It’s not like Cibrail has an epiphany upon meeting him. Marco wanders about the city during the day. (His first day, he wears a pink striped shirt, in contrast to Cibrail’s more drab colors).  And we see a bit of Berlin through his eyes, which is great.

At night, as usual, Cibrail can’t sleep while Christine is asleep next to him. He gets up for a snack, and then on his way back to bed looks in on Marco, who is asleep. It’s subtle and quick, but we know it’s also meaningful.

At work, Cibrail and his partner are shown walking their beat. They deal with someone who’s been assaulted. The police scenes are interesting because though Cibrail and his partner talk with victims, they don’t actually solve any crimes. Again, that makes it feels real. It’s also interesting because it gives us the impression that Cibrail, to an extent, is ineffectual. Marco asks, “Are there a lot of murders and crime in Berlin?” Cibrail responds, “No idea,” then says he’s just a patrolman. (By the way, the subtitling is occasionally sloppy – “murders” is written as “murder’s.”) Even later when there has been a murder, and Cibrail and his partner are called to the scene, we don’t see them do anything. What’s intriguing about that is that though they remain steady, the world around them is getting increasingly more serious (first a robbery, then an assault, then a murder). Something is happening, and this seems to lead directly to Cibrail taking some action in his own life.

The film has a very natural, almost matter-of-fact feel to it. That helps contribute to the sense we get of Cibrail as one who is following his own life rather than leading it.

The only scene that feels forced, even out of place, is an early scene of the Berlin Pride Festival (which comes after Marco calls but before he arrives). It is the first truly colorful scene in the film, in stark contrast with the greys that have come before.  There are shots of the parade, which are fun, but seem unrelated to anything. The film’s characters aren’t there, so these shots feel inserted, rather than a natural part of the film.

The only special feature on the DVD is the film’s trailer.

Cibrail is presented in German, with English subtitles. There are also optional French subtitles. The film stars Sinan Hancili, Engin Sert, Martina Hesse and Peter Beck. It was directed by Tor Iben. Cibrail was released on May 21, 2013 through TLA Releasing.