AllMovie

A Polish woman separated from her sister on Ellis Island struggles to survive on the streets of Manhattan in this period drama from writer/director James Gray (We Own the Night, Two Lovers). The year is 1921. Polish sisters Ewa (Marion Cotillard) and Magda Cybulski (Angela Sarafyan) are seeking a brighter future when they board a boat bound for New York City. Upon arriving on Ellis Island, however, Magda is placed in quarantine after receiving a grim and unexpected medical diagnosis. A stranger in a strange land, Ewa falls under the spell of the malevolent Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix), who forces her into prostitution. Yet a ray of hope soon comes in the form of Bruno's cousin Orlando (Jeremy Renner), a suave magician whose romantic interests in Ewa may be her ticket to a life worth living.