'The Terminal' Speaks the Language of an Immigrant's Heart

Steven Spielberg's sentimental tale is a love letter to foreigners

The Terminal is a movie about language — not a spoken one, though. It’s the language of honesty, goodwill, and love. The film’s best moments hardly involve any words. The portrayal of its characters is conveyed through gestures and acts of kindness rather than big speeches and dialogues. Spielberg used to be fluent in using this technique impressively well.

The Terminal — led by an excellent Tom Hanks — is one of the last times the director’s self-indulgent sentimentality doesn’t compromise the final product. In fact, his idealism and optimism about benevolent immigrants still hold up as a heart-warming tale almost two decades later.

Watching it now reminded me of my own dear memories when I came to England eight years ago.

I remember the first time when the language barrier really angered me. I worked in a London factory along with a bunch of my own country fellowmen. They helped me climb the corporate ladder since I barely spoke any English. They translated and explained a lot of what I didn’t understand from my supervisors and essentially trained me to do the work.