The Terminal 2004

I watched this while scrolling through HBO Max’s critically acclaimed section, so I had no idea what the movie was about. The problem introduced in the opening already got my attention. I didn’t even know something like that could happen. Imagine arriving in another country and suddenly finding out that, because of circumstances completely beyond your control, you technically cannot enter the country or simply go back home. What are the odds? This feels a lot like Mr. Bean’s Holiday (2007) because of the language barrier and being stuck in a completely unfamiliar circumstance. It was fun seeing how Viktor killed time during his entire stay. Basically, he tried anything that could help pass the time. I also enjoyed all the friends he made along the way. He starts out as this stranger who barely belongs there, but eventually he becomes the glue of that little airport community. The terminal stops feeling like a place where he is trapped and slowly becomes this weird temporary home filled with people who genuinely care about him.