SYNOPSICS
In America (2002) is a English,Spanish,Irish movie. Jim Sheridan has directed this movie. Paddy Considine,Samantha Morton,Djimon Hounsou,Sarah Bolger are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2002. In America (2002) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
Following the tragic death of their five-year-old son Frankie, Irish couple Johnny and Sarah Sullivan and their remaining two offspring, 10 year old Christy Sullivan and 5 year old Ariel Sullivan, emigrate illegally to the United States via Canada with little in their pockets. Their final destination is Manhattan where Johnny hopes to work as a stage actor. They move into a unit in a run town tenement housed primarily with drug addicts, transvestites and one tenant coined "the man who screams". They do whatever they can to eke out a supportive family environment in this difficult situation, the support which ultimately extends to those around them, most specifically "the screamer" who turns out to be an African-American artist named Mateo with AIDS. But the memory of Frankie hangs over the family in good and bad ways, especially as Sarah learns she's pregnant. Christy, who records their life's goings-on with her beloved camcorder, believes that the angel of Frankie has granted her ...
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In America (2002) Reviews
One of the most authentically felt films I've ever seen.
I'm not really big on this kind of film, but this one won me over in a big way. Jim Sheridan has such a sure hand as a director that even as the story meanders along, and you're not quite sure where things are going, you know HE knows and you end up trusting him and going along for whatever ride he wants to take you on. The characters and the actors portraying them are so winning, you don't want the movie to end. You just want to stay with them forever. Every role, right down to the two border guards and the hospital administrator are perfectly cast and performed. The two sisters playing the daughters are amazing. But the acting in the film really belongs to Samantha Morton. It really is a high wire act. In lesser hands this character might have been completely unbelievable. But her love for her husband and children is so palpable, you completely buy everything she has to go through with them. There were so many chances for cheap sentiment here, but the movie never went there. Really beautiful.
Angels in Manhattan
Two of the reasons for going to see this film are: Emma and Christy Bolger. They steal the movie from under more established stars. They make us see their new world through their eyes. It is magic to them to be in a new city, where they discover new things every day. They are disarming. America, the land that receives so many immigrants can be a hostile environment for a lot of people. For Johnny and Sarah, New York is a place full of surprises, as it must be to a lot of people whose dream is to make it there. This film is about their struggle to survive in pursuing a dream that turns out to be a nightmare for them, in many respects. Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton make the struggling Irish immigrants very real under the direction of Jim Sheridan, who is supposed to be the Johnny of the story. What they have to deal with in their new home, eventually make them conquer a world that's not kind to them. Nothing is given to them on a silver platter, which is the case with most illegal people in the country, so their tale is very believable and true to the pioneer spirit they have within themselves. It is the fantastic performance of the two Bolger sisters, as the daughters, which brings this film into focus. They have their feet on the ground and they know the ordeal their parents are facing. Their luminous faces and natural endear them to us in a special way. We owe Mr. Sheridan and family a lot for their courage to show us what they went through at their arrival in America.
3 Wishes
Greetings again from the darkness. I have no idea what has taken so long for this film to be released. Director/Producer/Writer Jim Sheridan ("My Left Foot", "In the Name of the Father" "The Boxer") has always been a tremendous filmmaker and with "In America" he has become a wonderful story teller. This semi-autobiographical picture was co-written by Sheridan and his two daughters and is the story of an Irish family's immigration to New York. I am a fan of Levinson's "Avalon" and Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" and I will rank this with both. It causes what I call "crossover". That is when I no longer feel I am watching a movie, but that I become part of the story. The characters are no longer actors, but real people. The writing, directing and acting are all terrific. Paddy Considine (a Stephen Rea lookalike), Samantha Morton ("Minority Report"), Djimon Hounsou ("Gladiator") are all exceptional in their roles. However, this movie belongs to the real-life Bolger sisters, Sarah and Emma, who play Christy and Ariel. Ariel's innocence and need to believe along with Christy's wisdom-beyond-her-years truly make this film work. Rarely do child actors carry a movie of significance. While these two bring joy, laughter, sadness and tears, they never cross the line of overly cute or overly sympathetic. Another odd twist to this film is the importance that Spielberg's "ET" plays. The dream of home and the presence of aliens (drug dealers, etc) in their tenemant tie in nicely. Their friendship with Mateo (Hounsou) is both bizarre and heartwarming. This is an extremely emotional ride for the audience, but one well worth taking.
Two Stars Are Born, in a Touching, Powerful, Sensitive, Positive and Magnificent Movie
Johnny (Paddy Considine), Sarah (Samantha Morton), Christy (Sarah Bolger) and Ariel (Emma Bolger) are a catholic Irish family, looking for a better life in America. They lost their beloved son and brother Frankie in an accident, and the family, specially Johnny and Sarah, is traumatized with his death. Johnny tries to find a job as an actor, but he lost his emotions and feelings with the death of Frankie and can not find a job, working as a taxi driver to support his family. Without any money, they move to a junkie building, where they become friend of Mateo (Djimon Hounsou), an African painter who has a serious disease, apparently AIDS. Their lives change and Johnny and Sarah learn to face and heal their wounds with the arrival of the baby and the friendship of Mateo. "In America" is a magnificent and very positive tale of friendship and survival. The story is very simple and dramatic, but never corny, and the very convincing performance of the cast is amazing and touching. Jim Sheridan was able to direct the six years old Emma Bolger and achieve an outstanding performance in the role of Ariel. Her eleven years old sister, Sarah Bolger, has also a stunning dramatic and key role in the story. I dare to write that two stars are born! Summarizing, "In America" is a highly recommended touching, powerful, sensitive, positive and magnificent movie. My vote is nine. Title (Brazil): "Terra dos Sonhos" ("Land of the Dreams")
Beautiful
I love this little film. I was pregnant at the time when I saw it with my husband who is from Ireland. We both enjoyed the film for it's romance, it's humanity, and qualities that were so earthy and yet somehow ethereal. It was both beautiful and moving--one of those rare finds that illuminates, truth, beauty, and the honesty that art can evoke. Art--especially the theater and cinema has the power to inspire and can be so powerful. This film is living proof of that. The film has an integrity and a quality of strength that few films ever capture. It is my dream to both create and perform in little films like this. I want to inspire and create something that makes a spiritual leap--something that lasts and endures for all time because of its quality of a diamond in the rough. If you want to see something a bit unusual, though provoking, emotional, and rare--see this film.