Life is Waiting.

Rating: 8/10 (1 July 2018)

Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "The Terminal" is a drama and a romantic-comedy. After reading the summary, you may get the feeling that this is another classic film of these genres, but it is not. There is a perfect balance among the genres of the film, as well as its characters and their feelings. "The Terminal" is the story of Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) who is coming to New York to fulfill his father's wish. While he was on the air, his country has fallen in a coup and his passport and visa are not recognized by the American Government. Therefore, he is not permitted to go back to his country or enter in United States. His only place to live is the terminal.
Viktor Navorski evolves into a natural hero during the film. The more you watch him, the more you believe in him because he doesn't pretend to be someone else. He is natural and law-obeying person. He has a strong personality and a character. When he comes to USA he doesn't know any English, and, therefore, he fails to understand why he is not permitted in the country or why he can't go back. He is an ambitious guy who starts learning English day by day. Tom Hanks, as Victor Navorski, doesn't try to speak perfect English as the film progresses. He keeps talking with his accent until the end. This makes us believe in film's naturalness, and this little detail creates perfection for "The Terminal."
The collaboration of Hanks and Spielberg in "Catch Me If You Can" and "Saving Private Ryan," brings experience to "The Terminal." You get the feeling that they really understand each other while watching the film. Steven Spielberg wants to introduce Navorski as a natural character, and Tom Hanks is there to do it. Confusion in his eyes and his accent are the key points of Tom Hank's performance as Navorski. "The Terminal" is a character based film. Its success and perception are strictly based on the performance of the leading actor. That's why their experience with each other is critical. In many scenes, you understand what is going on just by looking at the face of Victor Navorski. The other characters, even the main officer of the airport Frank Dixson (Stanley Tucci) who wants to get rid of him, is not a bad character. Everyone has some certain respect for each other. The film doesn't try to be funny, it just happens by itself. That's why Terminal is a self-flowing, natural film.
The story is said to be inspired by 18-year stay of Mehran Karimi in Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, but still, "The Terminal" is an original story. It doesn't have a plot. It is just telling the story of an unlucky man and his determination. There is a huge difference between the first and the last scenes in the means of character development. He comes to the airport as an unknown stranger and turns out to be a hero with his strong state of mind and for being the middle man in the love story between Enrique (Diego Luna) who is responsible for the delivery of the food, and the visa officer Dolores (Zoe Saldana). He also helps a man who is not allowed to take medicine to his father in Russia. These incidents are there for the picking by Navorski on his way to being a hero.
Its natural flow is the strongest point of the film. You feel like an ordinary passenger in an airport, watching everything with your own eyes. The only difference is the man who is stuck there. It is amazing to see the adaptation of human nature to even the most unrealistic circumstances. Even though it is not critically acclaimed, "The Terminal" is still a well-made film that is aware of its place. It takes its time for digesting everything. You feel the easiness of the scenes almost all the time. Even though the story takes place in an airport, it doesn't share its speed or agitation. Once I have stayed for 8 hours in an airport and I know what it means to be stuck in a place which has very limited services.
The cinema is going towards a full digitalization. We get to see a lot of special effects and less talent each year. There is an opposite setup in "The Terminal." As I said, it is purely based on characters, also most of the film was shot in a set. That huge airport is a set constructed by Alex McDowell, Production Designer of the film. The camera has liberty of showing whatever it feels like, because everything in the set is part of the film. With a lot of wide angles, it shows the reality of an airport. This is very important for the credibility. Janusz Kaminski creates a real environment with his camera.