In America

Real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger are the soul and beating heart of In America, Jim Sheridan's latest film. They play Christie and Ariel, respectively, the daughters of Johnny (Paddy Considine) and Sarah (Samantha Morton), and their work is flawless. The performances of the rest of the cast are superb, but the Bolger sisters are flawless. There are moments of true brilliance and extraordinary power in In America, and all of the most affecting scenes involve one or both of the sisters. For the most part, when they are off-screen and out of the story, the film loses its focus, if not its power.

In America is loosely based on the real story of Sheridan's immigration into the U.S. from Ireland. Johnny and Sarah immigrate illegally by claiming to be on vacation. They arrive in New York City, which seems to them full of opportunity (on their way in, a sign flashes "Yes you can", the only heavy-handed moment in the film). But they have next to nothing in the way of money, so they are forced to live in a run-down apartment inhabited mainly by junkies. A man named Mateo (Djimon Hounsou) lives near them, and initially he seems angry and volatile. But when Christie and Ariel stop by his apartment on Halloween, they find out that he's really a caring painter. He becomes the family's one true friend, and it is revealed that he is dying (the disease goes unnamed throughout the film, but it is clearly AIDS).

In Ireland, Johnny and Sarah had a son named Frankie who died of a brain tumor. His memory haunts every member of the family, and they are unable to get over his death. Every moment of the film involving the effect his death had on the family is incredibly moving. I dare you to not get even a little choked up when Christie convinces her father to tell Frankie good-bye. If the entire movie was devoted to the Frankie stuff, it would have been an amazing film, one of the best of the year.

The other actors are all superb. Paddy Considine and Sarah Morton give touching, powerful performances. They strike all the right notes, and not a moment of their work rings false. Djimon Housou is solid in an underwritten part.

But it all comes back to the Bolger sisters. Sarah Bolger does a better job than her sister, if only because Christie is a more important character than Ariel. The occasional voice-over is delivered by Sarah, and certain moments of the film are photographed as through the young girl's camcorder. I'm joining critic Richard Roeper (whose thumb currently shares air-space with Roger Ebert's), who has started a crusade to get Sarah Bolger a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

The ending of In America is amazing, the ending of a masterpiece. In America isn't a masterpiece, unfortunately, although it could have been, if the script had been tightened up. There are times when it seems unfocused, and some scenes are a little precious ("It isn't 'José', it's 'Oh, say can you see.'). But it's still a moving, lovely motion picture that never resorts to melodrama or overt manipulation. It earns its tears.

© 2003 Matt Noller