In America

Composite Score: 81.8

Starring: Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon Hounsou, Sarah Bolger, Emma Bolger, Juan Carlos Hernández, and Michael Sean Tighe

Director: Jim Sheridan

Writers: Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan, and Kirsten Sheridan

Genre: Drama

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sexuality, drug references, brief violence, and language

Box Office: $25.38 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                In America tells the story of a poor Irish family who immigrate to New York City following the death of the family’s five-year-old son/brother. It explores meaningful themes of grief and mourning, family, and friendship. The film’s acting contains some powerful leading and supporting performances from the adults and children that feature in the film. It elicits deep emotional responses while also leaving you with a deeper feeling of challenge for helping those around us and of hope for the potential for positive to come out of the negatives in our lives.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                By framing the film from the perspective of the Sullivans’ children, some of the deeper issues that the film could otherwise have delved into are somewhat glossed over. Djimon Hounsou’s Mateo is implicitly suffering from AIDS, but there is no exploration of his condition beyond the way that his sickness (and eventual death) impacts the Sullivans. As a character, Mateo is limited by his lack of screentime (which Hounsou dominates by the way), and his condition becomes almost a monolithic issue – namely that people with AIDS are eventually going to die and are sad about that and so they make art. The issue of the family’s poverty is another one with limited exploration due to the childlike perspective that the film takes. While a childlike hopefulness and even naivete about being poor is not necessarily a bad thing, it should not excuse the situations that the family had to deal with that kept them there. Even the extremely high hospital bill for Sarah’s pregnancy and birth are glossed over by simply having it paid off rather than diving into that issue. This is not necessarily a topical film as much as it is a film about grief and mourning and coming through tragedy together.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                The performances from Paddy Considine as Johnny, Samantha Morton as Sarah, Sarah Bolger as Christy, Emma Bolger as Ariel, and Djimon Hounsou as Mateo carry In America to great heights. Considine portrays the hurt, alienated, and deeply mourning father of the Sullivan family with skill and tact, bringing home one of the film’s most emotional moments at the film’s end when his character reaches the final stage of grief. Morton’s Sarah is an impassioned mother seeking to carry on with life after the death of a child but not always fully sure of how that looks. Her deeply emotional portrayal earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. The Bolger sisters as the Sullivan sisters give the film its heart and its life, making it a film about the magic of reality through the ways that the girls interact with the various characters and situations that are thrown their way. These are two of the most solid child acting performances I have ever watched, and without them, the film would not be nearly as good, earlier comments notwithstanding. Hounsou’s performance as Mateo brings the true human connection that the family needs to continue through their mourning process. He is emotional and spiritual and wise and needy and passionate in a way that dominates the scenes that he is a part of while never hijacking the story in the process – skillfully done. His performance also gained an Oscar nomination but for Supporting Actor.

                As a film about a family going through grief, In America shines, showing all the struggles and the growth that come as the result of a lost loved one. The confusion and anger on the part of the parents mixes with the youthful hopefulness for the future of the children at the beginning of the film. By the end, the children’s hopefulness turns to a form of frustrated despair that is only ended by the eventual acceptance that both of their parents must come to. The catharsis that finally arrives with the film’s final scenes connects deeply and feels well-earned by both the characters on screen and the audience watching at home – a successful journey through grief.

                Honesty about the grieving process, powerfully emotional adult performances, and surprisingly well-done child acting are the building blocks that make In America the great film that it is. Critics might take issue with the film’s lack of engagement with some of its more peripheral themes, but such engagement would most likely have taken away from the film’s deeply emotional main story. The emotional response that is finally achieved at the film’s end makes the whole journey worth it and the film worth watching. Check it out whenever you can find it, as there is no doubt about its place among the Greatest Films of All Time.