That burning question lurks in the shadows of this charming tale of an unlikely friendship, featuring an outstanding performance from Richard Jenkins as curmudgeonly academic Walter Vale. 

Obliged to visit his second home in New York, Vale discovers that it is occupied by illegal immigrants Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira).

He allows them to stay and finds a friend in Tarek, who teaches him how to play the African djembe drum. Everything changes when Tarek is arrested.

Handled with a light touch, The Visitor is a moving account of one man’s re-engagement with the world that underlines how much there is to learn from different cultures rather than fear about them.

It does turn a little sentimental but, generally, this is the kind of warm and witty human drama that comes along all too rarely.

(Cert. 15; 103 mins)