My favourite film

Some facts The Terminal NAME The Terminal CAST Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta –Jones, Stanley Tucci, Diego Luna DIRECTOR Steven Spielberg DATE OF RELEASE 2004 SCREENPLAY Andrew Niccol, Sasha Gervasi GENRE Drama

The plot Viktor Navorski, a man from an Eastern country arrives in New York, but after he has left his homeland war breaks out and because of that Navorski is a man without a country. The U.S. cannot identify him and so he is denied entry in the US. However, he can't be deported, so he is told by the Airport Manager that he has to stay in the airport until his status can be confirmed. Navorski doesn’t speak English well, so no one can talk to him and he can’t talk to anyone. But he somehow learns and sets up residence in the airport. Navorski makes friends with some of the people who work in the airport and is attracted to a flight attendant he runs into whenever she comes in.

I loved The Terminal for many reasons, but one big reason is it's simplicity. And more importantly, because it is good at being simple. It doesn't contribute anything new to movies. It is what it is. A great, feel-good film.

Curiosities Did you know that The Terminal is based on a true story? Yes , the movie The Terminal is based on the story of Merhana Nasseri who lived at Charles De Gaulle Airport from August 1988 to August 2006, when he was taken from the terminal due to illness. An Iranian political refugee, Nasseri became stuck when his refugee certification documents were stolen from him in France, en route from Belgium to England. Without papers, he was unable to enter England; Belgium did not permit refugees to return once they had left the country; and France would not allow him to stay because he could not prove his identity. As such, he became stuck at the airport.