The Terminal

Steven Spielberg-directed comedy starring Tom Hanks set almost entirely in an airport terminal. Viktor Navorski (Hanks) always planned to emigrate from his Eastern European homeland to the USA - but his plans were swiftly accelerated by the outbreak of war, and he finds himself on a plane headed for New York's Kennedy airport. However, on arrival there he finds himself caught in a bureaucratic red tape nightmare: his passport was issued by a country which, since the violent coup that triggered the war there, has officially ceased to exist. Because he can neither be granted entrance to the US or deported, he is told by security to remain in the airport until his status is determined. Equipped only with his faltering English and a simple, optimistic outlook on life, Viktor gradually makes friends with the airport staff - and even falls in love with flight attendant Amelia (Catherine Zeta Jones) - over the ensuing weeks.