By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Jim Sheridan
Starring: Djimon Honsou | Emma Bolger | Paddy Considine | Samantha Morton | Sarah Bolger
Country: ireland, united_kingdom
Year: 2003
Running time: 107
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0298845/combined
Kevin says: “From Jim Sheridan, the director of IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER and MY LEFT FOOT, comes IN AMERICA, certainly one of the best films of 2003.
“The film concerns a family, consisting of Johnny (Patty Considine), his wife Sarah (Samantha Morton) and their two young daughters Christy and Ariel (Sarah and Emma Bolger). They are Irish immigrants who move to New York City in the mid-80’s. The family is traumatized by the loss of one of their children, a son who died of a brain tumor. The older of the two daughters, Christy, has a spiritual connection with the boy. It is set up near the beginning of the film that she has three wishes which he will grant. The first of which she uses to get the family across the border from Canada into America. They eventually settle in a run down apartment building in New York City inhabited by drug dealers and poor families. The girls soon befriend a black artistnamed Mateo who is dying of AIDS (Djimon Honsou). He sees the particular beauty in this family struggling to survive in a new country.
“This film is wonderful in turns because of its rawness and realism, its childlike respect for the magical and supernatural, and the way in which it harmoniously reconciles these two seemingly opposite aspects of reality. The film is, in a sense, a ritual, highly influenced by African spiritual ideas about the unborn, the world of the ancestors, and, most importantly, the fluid nature in which the two intermingle–portrayed through the inevitable death of Mateo and Sarah’s eventual pregnancy, which threatens her health. This creates a strong structure in which Sheridan is able to convey simple yet beautiful and triumphant moments in the private life of the small family, such as the father’s relentless determination to purchase and install an air conditioning unit during the unbearable summer heat or the girls’ exuberant energy while discovering the American phenomenon of trick-or-treating on Halloween. The performances of the young actresses, sisters in real life, help immeasurably in creating the tone of intimate realism. They are both exceedingly superb–in fact, so are all of the actors in this film. The consistently superb Samantha Morton, seen recently in the fantastic MORVERN CALLAR (if you rent one movie this Holiday season, rent MORVERN CALLAR) and MINORITY REPORT, proves yet again that she is the most talented film actress working today. Her performance is subtle and profound, and the close-ups of her expressive face manage to convey more than any of the sensitive and acutely well written lines of dialogue. Paddy Considine, who was brilliant in Paul Pavlikovsky’s LAST RESORT, concerning Russian immigrants in the UK, is extremely good in this film as well. He conveys both masculine energy and extreme sensitivity playing a struggling actor who is trying to support his family although still unable to accept the death of his son. Something forceful trembles underneath the surface of this relentless, beautiful performance. Djimon Honsou creates a sympathetic and intriguing portrayal of the unlikely friend of the immigrant family.
” The film is also helped by fine cinematography by Declan Quinn (LEAVING LAS VEGAS) and the strong direction of Sheridan, who also co-wrote the observant script with his daughters, Naomi and Kirsten Sheridan. The film is obviously quite personal to this family, as it is dedicated to Jim Sheridan’s deceased son. The extreme closeness of the filmmaker to the subject matter hurts the film a little–at times it is a bit maudlin–but even more so it helps to gives IN AMERICA an extremely intimate and reflective tone. Above all else, this is a touching, exciting, and interesting story, given life by an extremely talented cast and a devoted director. It is highly recommended.” 4 cats
Review courtesy of Kevin Smith and the Aurora Beacon News
Jane says: “I agree that IN AMERICA was incredibly heart felt. Great performances all the way around including very impressive debuts by the two young sisters. I can’t think of anything really negative to say – I highly recommend it.” 4 cats
Hilary says: “I saw IN AMERICA last night and cried through most of it. I, too, was a bit wary of the sentimental aspects going into it, but the quality lifts it above say, your average BEACHES. Great performances all around.”