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| In America
Year: 2002
Classification: Drama
Actors/Actresses:
- Paddy Considine
- Samantha Morton
- Djimon Hounsou
one of the best-made recent movies for viewers
I truly loved this film. BR>I am an avid movie buff and love foriegn films, the majesty of coloration and settings in films like the Kill Bill series, odd momentum of films and settings like in Lost in Translation, and the directing in Mystic River. Recently, despite these films, I have felt curiously jaded as a movie-goer until I saw In America. BR>This film captures your hopes and your heart. It is in the tradition of grand old movies and one of the best I have seen in years. BR>The other reviews have told you the story of the immigrant family facing a loss retreating to America to salve their wounds/guilts and instill hope in the future. The acting is phenomenal. Samantha Morton as the mother is exposed emotions. The Bolger sisters as sisters in the story are remarkable. Their acting so facile and believable. Mateo (Housou) is a true presence. Bravo to director Sheridan( My Left Foot, In The Name OF The Father) for another winner. BR>I understand the dedication at the end of the filmm was for Sheridan's own 10yearold brother Frankie which makes the film even more poignant.Maybe it will be maudlin for some, but it was my cup of tea. BR>A must see film. Highly recommended.
It's Easy to Fall in Love With the Sullivan Family
I missed IN AMERICA when it was in the theaters, and I vowed not to miss it when it was released in DVD. The reviews of the film were excellent, and I knew I would enjoy an Irish family moving to the United States. I decided to purchase the DVD rather than rent it, knowing that when I saw it I would enjoy it, complain about a few clichés, and put it away to view it again in a year or so. I certainly expected it to be somewhat lighter fair, in the same category as WAKING NED DIVINE. I was hardly prepared for the dramatic intensity of the film.
The story tells of a young couple, Johnny and Sarah Sullivan (Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton respectively) who move from Ireland to New York with their two daughters after the tragic death of a younger son. The parents are too busy trying to care for the children to attend to their own grief which provides for much of the film's conflict. The two daughters Christy and Ariel, played by real life sisters Emily and Sarah Bolger, are endearing, and see a magical side to an area of New York most people would avoid at all costs. This seems to be due less to the fact that they have left rural Ireland for the big city (Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Limerick have their share of seedy neighborhoods infested with drugs and poverty), but rather it is due to their outlook on life. The family befriends a neighbor who is dying from AIDS who allows the family to deal with its own loss and celebrate life once again.
While the plot of this movie has been retold in many different ways in film and literature, IN AMERICA has many qualities that make it outstanding. Writer and director Jim Sheridan is able to capture the girls' innocence remarkably well. Johnny and Sarah are authentically Irish yet they have a universal appeal. New York City is colorful even in the midst of pain and tragedy. Family life is celebrated yet the conflicts are real. Perhaps what made this film most outstanding in my eyes is that even though I instinctively knew how the film would probably end, it still held my interest and had a degree of suspense to it. This only happens when a film captures a viewer's heart while respecting the viewer's intelligence.
sweet film about family, loss and new beginnings
This story, about an Irish family that immigrates to Manhattan after the death of a son, is a sweet film about family, loss and new beginnings.
What I liked best about the movie were the very strong performances by the two young girls and the neighbor, Mateo.
On the down side, I sometimes found the Irish accents hard to understand and details were sometimes unrealistic.
The story wasn't strong enough for me to consider it outstanding, but it's an interesting watch, a nice change of pace from Hollywood and a good family film.
Buy In America at Amazon.com
Buy posters at Allposters.com
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