Jim Sheridan's movies have centered on Irish families clinging
together during moments of hardship. Mothers and sons ("Some
Mother's Son," "My Left Foot,")
or fathers and sons ("In the Name of the Father," "The Field") are hard hitting
dramas, yet familial love radiates throughout the pieces, sometimes the only
light in bleak films. With "In America" Sheridan once again visits the domestic
territory. "In America" is as lyrical as an Irish lullaby.
Johnny and Sarah (Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton) illegally
drive their two daughters over the Canadian border to
reinvigorate their impoverished lives.
They settle into a tenement in New York. Johnny jumps from audition to audition,
hoping that an acting career will be the safety net the family desperately
needs. But like every other unemployed actor, he struggles through a wave
of rejections.
Surrounded by drag queens and drug dealers, the family
finds making ends meet and keeping safe daunting tasks.
Their love keeps them strong and when
that
begins to unravel, a peculiar stranger, Djimon Hounsou of "Amistad," saves
the troubled family from tearing each other apart.
Sheridan paints a portrait of the family with nothing but each other. Similar
to Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird," a little girl narrates. However,
while Lee's classic is read by the wise adult version of 'Scout' Finch,
our narrator
Christy has yet to fully experience life. However, even at her young age,
Christy displays a depth most adults lack. The defining moment in her life
was the
death of her brother Frankie, to whom she prays constantly (She believes
her brother can grant her three wishes).
Sheridan and HIS two daughters Naomi and Kirsten have written a layered,
tender story, borrowing from their own family dynamic (Sheridan own brother,
Frankie,
died of a brain tumor). The story radiates because there's such truth in
the dialogue and situations. Had I not known a family wrote this script,
I still
would have guessed so.
The script pulls the audience into the small family moments.
Even minor events cause suspense because the outcome
will affect characters we love.
Sheridan
turns a carnival game booth into a centerpiece of tension when a carny
holds the family's rent hostage.
The direction manages to be both intimate and epic. Johnny
and Sarah make love in a primal way one evening that
would make rabbits blush.
Utilizing
color
filters and sweeping camera movements, carnal lust and wedded passion
pervade the theater.
Cinematographer Declan Quinn's beautiful photography harks
back to the lush work of Allen Daviau ("Bugsy," "Color
Purple").
As the besieged couple, Considine and Morton are stirring.
Considine's role requires him to portray rage, jealousy,
fear, grief, adoration
and quiet
kindness. He hits every emotion on key. The luminous Morton is
empathetic even when an
illness renders her delusional. With two insecure adults, it's
the little girl who plays family matriarch. Sarah Bolger
demonstrates
such power
for a little
girl. Wise beyond her years, the actress must contain the same
old-soul wisdom to make her Christy credible. She is
an actress to watch,
like the Oscar
winning performances from Tatum O'Neal in "Paper Moon" or Anna
Paquin in "The Piano."
Bolger's real little sister Emma is adorable as the youngest member
of the family. Rounding out the cast, Hounsou, as the mysterious
neighbor, is tender
towards the family he reluctantly adopts.
In a year of disappointing sequels and remakes, "In America" shows
heart missing in the Cineplex today. Director Jim Sheridan takes
the immigrant
story and
transports it into the modern age. In doing so, he clarifies that
the tribulations suffered by the characters in Barry Levinson's
"Avalon" or "I Remember
Mama" have not ebbed with time. A sparkling tribute to the people
who
remain the
essence of our country's spirit, "In America" is an inspiration.
Grade: A
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