"The Terminal"

Title: "The Terminal"
Director: Steven Spielberg
Producers: S. Spielberg, W.F. Parkes, L. MacDonald, and A. Niccol
Editing: Michael Kahn
Composer: John Williams
Starring:
- Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski
- Catherine Zeta-Jones as Amelia Warren
- Stanley Tucci as Frank Dixon
- Barry Shabaka Henley as Thurman
- Kumar Pallana as Rajan Gupta
- Diego Luna as Enrique Cruz
- Chi McBride as Mulroy
- Zoë Saldana as Dolores Torres
- Eddie Jones as Salchak

Plot and Critical Review: Viktor Navorski arrives at JFK International Airport, but finds that he is not allowed to enter the United States. While he was en route to the US, a revolution was started in his home nation of Krakozhia. Due to the civil war, the United States no longer recognizes Krakozhia as a sovereign nation and denies Viktor's entrance to the US on the grounds that Viktor technically has no citizenship. Unable to leave the airport or return to Krakozhia, Viktor instead lives in the terminal.

Viktor quickly befriends the staff at the terminal while being under the watchful eye of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Head Frank Dixon, who wants Navorski removed from the airport. Initially being deprived of food by Dixon as a method of trying to get him arrested and made someone else's problem, Navorski takes on the task of retrieving vacant baggage trolleys for the 25 cent reward from the machine. He uses this money to buy food from Burger King until eventually Dixon prevents him from collecting. He then makes his first friend, a catering car driver named Enrique who asks him to approach a female Customs and Border Protection officer named Dolores for him in exchange for food. With Viktor's help, Enrique and Dolores eventually marry each other. He meets flight attendant Amelia Warren, who asks him out to dinner, but he tries to earn money in order to ask Amelia out instead. He finally gets an off-the-books job as a construction worker at the airport earning $19 an hour.

Viktor is asked to interpret for a desperate Russian man with undocumented drugs for his sick father. Viktor claims it is "medicine for goat," barring the drug from confiscation and resolving the crisis. Under pressure and the watchful eye of the Airport Ratings committee, who is evaluating Dixon for an upcoming promotion, Dixon has a falling out with Viktor. Though Dixon is advised that sometimes rules must be ignored, he becomes obsessed with getting Viktor ejected from the airport. An Airport janitor Rajan Gupta, exaggerates the "goat" incident to his fellow co-workers and as a result, Viktor earns the respect and admiration of all of the airport staff.

One day, Viktor explains to Amelia that the purpose of his visit to New York is to collect an autograph from the tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. His late father was a jazz enthusiast who had discovered the "Great Day in Harlem" photograph in a Hungarian newspaper in 1958, and vowed to get an autograph of all the 57 jazz musicians featured on the photograph.

A few months later, the war in Krakozhia ends, but Dixon will still not allow Viktor to enter the United States. Amelia reveals that she had asked her 'friend' — actually a married government official with whom she had been having an affair — to assist Viktor in obtaining permission to travel within the US, but Viktor is disappointed to learn she has renewed her relationship with the man during this process.

To make matters worse, Dixon needs to sign the form granting Viktor the right to remain in the United States, but refuses. He instead blackmails Viktor into returning to Krakozhia, or he will deport Gupta to his native country, where he is wanted for assaulting a corrupt police officer. Upon hearing this, Gupta runs in front of Viktor's plane and asks Viktor to go anyway. The plane is delayed, giving Viktor enough time to go into the city and obtain the autograph. With the blessing of the entire airport staff, Viktor leaves the airport after receiving a uniform coat from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Port Director and hails a taxi. Dixon, watching Viktor leave the airport, decides not to pursue him. As Viktor prepares to take the taxi to a Ramada Inn where Benny Golson is performing, he observes Amelia exiting from a cab, where she gives him a wistful smile. He has a short conversation with the cab driver, telling him how to avoid traffic on the way to the hotel and that he is from Krakozhia. The driver tells Viktor that he is from Albania and arrived earlier that week. He attends the show and collects the autograph, finally completing the collection. Afterwards, Viktor leaves and hails a taxi, telling the driver: "I am going home."

I believe "The Terminal" ought to be considered an American classic, but I realize that I am one of very few who feel that way. While "The Terminal" opened to fair reviews and a relatively successful box office response (it made almost 4x its budget), it has since slipped in favor and most film critics rate it in the "middle of the road". That is, most reviews come back in the 4-5/10 range. Most criticisms surround the pace of the movie; that it fails to go slow or fast enough to create dramatic tension or suspense. That is one of the reasons why I favor this film; it doesn't require too much of the viewer (great films do not always have to, no matter what popular opinion says) but still satisfies with an original plot and solid acting.

"The Terminal" was the 3rd film that paired Steven Spielberg's legendary directorial technique with Tom Hanks' impeccable acting talent. Their track record speaks for itself, and I hope we will see more films that share the talents of these two tremendous artists.

The first three or four times I watched the movie I was astonished that Spielberg was able to convince an international airport into allowing him to shoot such extensive scenes in a public place that sustains unavoidably heavy foot traffic. If you need another reason to favor Spielberg as a director and producer, please take into consideration that he had a fully functioning airport terminal (International Transit Lounge) built for the sake of this film. Real coffee in the Starbucks machines, real books on the Borders shelves, and real Whoppers at Burger King. Spielberg spared no expense. The escalators were purchased from a department store that had gone bankrupt. The terminal might not have looked like any airport you've ever been in, but did you ever get the sense you were watching a film shot on a sound stage? Well done, sir.

My Rating: 7/10

Content to Caution:
V-1.5 - A man threatens to kill himself over the confiscation of medicine for his father. A brief scuffle follows.
L-2 - Here and there.
DU-1.5 - Some characters are seen drinking, especially when Viktor learns he can go home. One character smokes in a luggage assembly area.
RT-1 - No comment.
H/S-0 - No comment.
CH-2 - A few jokes are made about sexual topics, and there is some rough humor shared between characters.
S/N-1 - Amelia speaks of her affair quite candidly. She and Viktor share a kiss.

The "Reel Revelation": "The Blessed In-Between"

Viktor Navorski was in between flights. What should have been a brief stop in NYC and a speedy return home turned into an 11-month "in-between" period as Viktor waited for clearance to enter NYC, get a prized autograph, and fly back to his homeland. Viktor simply said, "I'm in between flights..." We also have a few "in betweens" we report to one another:

"I'm in between jobs..."

"I'm in between relationships..."

"I'm in between treatments..."

When placed against some of the real-life waiting periods we face, we might call Viktor lucky! As far-fetched as his story is, Viktor displays a model of behavior that we can genuinely learn from. If we're willing to be honest with ourselves, I think we'll find that we've been in his place many times, and are likely to find ourselves there again. Whether it's moving from one job to another, one home to another, one opportunity to another, or simply waiting to get from Point A to Point B, we find ourselves in a sort of "in-between" that challenges our patience and our trust in God, who guides us.

I felt challenged to that end in a particularly personal way when I was in between work. I'd resigned from one job and was trying to find another one. Time after time I was told that I wasn't qualified for the positions I was seeking. I felt just like Viktor when he'd visit Office Torres at the immigration desk..."unacceptable"...DENIED. The period of "in between" stretched on and on. I got distracted, disheartened, and disoriented. There were times when I forgot what direction I was supposed to be going; times when I'd forget how I even got to where I was in the first place. Frustration mounted and I just wanted to be out of the in between. Have you ever felt the same way?

Lent is very much a season of "in between". In a liturgical sense (that is, according to the calendar of the church) we're passing from "Ordinary Time" into the "Easter Season". Why can't we just get to the joy and celebration of the Resurrection? Why deal with 40 days of fasting, penance, and sad music? That we could, but the Resurrection would not be complete if there was no tomb for Jesus to come out of. Can we ignore it? If we tried to skip Lent we'd be as guilty as those who walked by the Cross and paid no attention to Jesus, hanging there in desolation. We'd be like those of whom Jeremiah spoke in Lamentations:

"Is it nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any pain like my pain
Which was severely dealt out to me,
Which the LORD inflicted on the day of His fierce anger." (Lamentations 1:12)

Jesus didn't suffer that "pain" for nothing. His endurance of such utter agony shows us that even the most unbearable periods of being "in between" can contain a most righteous purpose for our lives.

Think back to Viktor. He carried that peanut can with him at almost all times. It was a reminder of where he was going and a way of keeping him focused on fulfilling the promise he made to his father. Do you carry such a reminder with you? You might not choose to carry an actual item on your person, but is there something in your life that reminds you of where you're going, who you are, and whose you are? We would do very well to keep those three things in mind as often as possible.

If you're in an "in between" period right now and feeling pretty fed up, do not give up hope quite yet. Remember that even Viktor faced distractions. Not only was he compelled to help others complete their tasks, but he became quite distracted when he met Amelia. That relationship didn't pan out, but through his interactions with her he learned about himself and his capacity to love. You might be frustrated because something is keeping you from "moving forward", but what you might call an "obstacle" could in fact be an opportunity to learn more about yourself and your relationship with God. Thus, even when they are not preferable to our senses, we can still call the "in between" periods blessed. Remember...

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4)

If you are struggling, let these words be to you what Viktor's peanut can was to him; a reminder that your period of "in-between" is blessed, indeed! The carnation blooms during the months of winter when it seems there ought not be any life at all...will not your life bloom all the more as you wait to get from Point A to Point B?

See you tomorrow - E.T.