Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2014

1921 was not a good time to be a lone female immigrant on the streets of New York City. Targeted while still in line on Ellis Island, Polish immigrant Ewa is tricked almost immediately into believing that a pimp with a heart of gold (a jumpy Joaquin Phoenix) can help her get her consumptive sister out of the facility’s infirmary and into the country. The soulful center of this film is the divine Marion Cotillard, as Ewa. Watch her eyes as she faces the reality of each new humiliation thrown at her by the brutal world in which the American dream has turned into a nightmare. This heartbreaking, existentially complex tale is undoubtedly representative of the immigrant experience of many thousands of people who came to America in pursuit of that overblown dream. Although the gradual pace of its unfolding may be a bit slow for some, it is told with great narrative and emotional richness. And while it depicts a hell on earth, it closes out on a note of hope for the human spirit. The lingering, beautifully composed final long shot is a work of art in itself.  (117 min)