The Visitor

A new father returns to his former homeland to settle unfinished business, but struggles to let go, in this elegantly choreographed study of solitude.

It’s late summer when Danielius leaves his young family behind in Norway and travels back to Lithuania to sell his late parents’ apartment. He makes tentative efforts to reconnect with old friends, but the once-strong bonds have faded. He should take care of business and move on – but instead, he lingers in the sleepy seaside town. The Visitor is a beautiful, Tsai Ming-liang-tinged film in which time seems to stand still and the fragility of the soul is rendered with exquisite precision. One of the most powerful debut features of the year.

• Johan Blomqvist