Review of In America (2003) by Andy M — 05 Mar 2009

In America is a heartfelt story about a family of Irish immigrants who settle in America, the land of opportunity. Having recently lost a child, the parents are trying to re-adjust to life, and make a new start. However, making a new start in New York, with little money, and no work, proves to be a challenge for the family as they find themselves living in a squallid appartment in an area of Manhattan populated with drug addicts and immigrant families.

However, this film is told mainly through the eyes of one of the daughters of the family, who believes that her deceased brother granted them three wishes before he passed away. Through her eyes, we see the magic and wonder that America brings, looking past the squalor and misery, and instead glimpsing the mystical nature of a building that must be haunted â??cos it looks so old. This â??through the eyes of a childâ?? approach is helped tremendously by the stunning acting debuts of the two Bolger sisters, who really have a handle on emotion.

Jim Sheridan drew upon his own personal experiences to make this film, having lost a child and made a new life himself. This shows clearly throughout as feelings, thoughts, and situations are so real, so convincing, that they can do naught but stir your own emotions. Anyone who has gone through the painful experience of losing a child will recognise many of the situations, and it will stir memories and emotions of your own experiences.

Another hint of child-like belief in magic is introduced in the form of one of the other tenents in the appartment block. A reclusive African-American artist who has painted â??Keep Awayâ?? in huge yellow letters on his door. The sign doesnâ??t stop the girls, though, who insist on disturbing him on Halloween, and managing to draw him out of his reclusiveness.

This is truly one of the finest films of the past few years, and if anyone can sit through it wothout feeling a lump in their throat, or tears in their eyes, then their heart must surely have died years ago. I urge everyone to see this film, and to tell everyone else to see it. This is what cinema is all about.