Review of In America (2003) by Kirby P — 24 Jan 2010
Irish writer-director Jim Sheridan's semi-autobiographical drama of an Irish immigrant family's new life in 1980s New York is a bittersweet fable. It follows the struggles of Johnny (Paddy Considine - standing in for Sheridan) and his wife Sarah (Samantha Morton) with their two daughters, Christy and Ariel (Sarah and Emma Bolger), living in a Hell's kitchen tenement full of drug addicts and transvestites.
Johnny is pursuing an acting career and the family has little money. One of the neighbors is a reclusive Nigerian artist (Djimon Hounsou) who has a secret but forms a bond with the girls. The scenes with Hounsou threaten to bog down in hokey mysticism but Sheridan has created a feeling of magic realism that is poignant and there is a lot of humor too.
We discover that the family lost a son to a tragic accident and Johnny's inability to remove himself from feelings of guilt causes pain for the whole family. Some lyrical passages: the feelings of relief from humidity for the family with the purchase of an air conditioner; Ariel expressing regret stating simply: "I miss things;" Christy confronting Johnny for not being emotionally present for the family; Johnny's attempt to win an E.
T. doll for Ariel at a carnival which is simultaneously painful and joyful. This is a highly personal movie that Sheridan has co-written with his real life daughters, Naomi and Kirsten. All of the actors are first-rate.
Real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger give remarkable performances. Nothing they do is affected. Their scenes together play out so naturally its touching. We see events through their eyes so we feel protective of them.
Altogether this is a lovely movie.
This review of In America (2003) was written by Kirby P on 24 Jan 2010.
In America has generally received very positive reviews.
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