In America
Directed by:
Jim SheridanScreenplay:
Jim SheridanCinematography:
Declan QuinnComposer:
Maurice SeezerCast:
Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Sarah Bolger, Emma Bolger, Neal Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Adrian Martinez, Tom Murphy, Frank Wood, Jer O'Leary (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Jim Sheridan's autobiographical film, IN AMERICA, begins as Irish immigrants Johnny (Paddy Considine), his wife Sarah (Samantha Morton), and their two daughters drive their wood-paneled station wagon across the Canadian border and into the United States. As they enter New York City at night, 10-year-old Christy (Emma Bolger) records the lights, skyscrapers, and general excitement on her camcorder. Her little sister Ariel (Sarah Bolger) coos at all there is to see, and the whole family is filled with new hope. With no money to live on, they settle into the top floor of a flophouse tenement inhabited by transvestites and drug addicts. The dilapidated building is at first intimidating, but with a little redecorating and a change of perspective, the family turns it into a bohemian paradise. While Johnny goes to auditions, trying to get his break as an actor, Sarah works at the ice cream shop down the street and the girls go to Catholic school. A budding friendship with their ominous neighbor, Mateo (Djimon Hounsou), brings a much-needed spirituality to the family's happy but difficult struggle to survive. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (1)
When Irishman Jim Sheridan arrived in New York with his wife and two daughters, the four of them had been severely shaken by the death of their fifth family member, a little boy who had fallen down the stairs. Based on a screenplay about the members of his family, Sheridan made an autobiographical film in which he exorcizes his old demons together with them. It is a very sad and personal account, dedicated to the memory of his son. If I were in Sheridan’s shoes, I would do the same thing, though such an effort would be more of a bandage on my wounds than a full-fledged viewing experience. Cinematically, there’s nothing for which to fault In America. The actors are decent and the psychological aspect is strong, but the content won’t tear you apart unless something similar has happened to you and you found the answers to your questions in the same places Sheridan found them.
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