The immigrant does not look like a typical James Gray film (Little Odessa, Two Lovers, yards), except for the presence of Joaquin Phoenix, with whom he. Developed a close friendship and working relationship Regulation him familiar area, sandy New York. But the timing of the 1920s during Prohibition in the Lower East Side with impoverished immigrants speak a variety of languages ​​filled. The old-world look is created by a brilliant camera of Darius Khondji that uses muted color palette and rich shadows to capture the beauty of a carefully planned period costumes and sets the busy streets in their frailty and gas-lit threat.

Not least, its beauty is in front of the wonderful Marion Cotillard, every frame in which he appears, and remains, if it does not light captured. He plays Ewa, a Polish immigrant, just to get the boat to Ellis Iceland sister Belva. When she is separated from her sister, who (probably tuberculosis) was placed in quarantine breast disease, and finds that his aunt and uncle are not there to meet him, then he is deprived, confused and scared. So if to be a smooth and polite Bruno Weiss (Joaquin Phoenix) purports to her life "immigrants support," the official, he willingly followed him to his very appearance is a rental apartment building. There he will find a variety of women, and one of the precocious child who seems to be some kind of connection to Bruno.

She gives him a bed in his apartment, and promises him a job in his theater seamstress. Bruno, as it turns out, is a master of ceremonies in his burlesque theater, Bandits Roost, quite dirty dive, bootleg whiskey and lots of tits and ass (and sometimes more) men in the audience are often representative of the city, the special favor, serves to keep an eye on activities Bruno reception. Women in the society are the same women live in Bruno's building. As the story progresses it becomes clear that his true relationship to all of them is that her pimp girls who are expected to do what is necessary to preserve the appearance of burlesque company. It has a symbiotic relationship.