In America Review
by Balaji Srinivasan (balaji_cheenu AT yahoo DOT com)September 27th, 2004
Starring Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton and Djimon Hounsou. Directed by Jim Sheridian.
**** (4 stars on 4)
2003 was a bumper year for movies. There was a glut of good movies that were released at around the end of the year, to vie for the oscars. Some got a lot of attention, like Mystic River. Others were critically acclaimed but were not noticed by the public. I saw two such movies this weekend, 'In America' and 'Girl With The Pearl Earring'.
'In America' is a tale of an Irish immigrant family which has settled in New York after a family catastrophe. Johnny (Paddy Considine) and Sarah (Samantha Morton) move to America with their two daughters, Christy and Ariel (Sarah and Emma Bolger). The film traces their first year in the Big Apple as the family exorcises past daemons.
The film is told from the point of view of the older daughter, Christy, with her always-on camcorder, but the narrative freely wheels away from her point of view whenever needed (including a strangely filmed sex scene in the middle of a thunderstorm, with Christy's voiceover saying "That was when the baby was conceived"! ). Johnny and Sarah had lost their son, Frankie, earlier and they come to New York to start a new life. They move into a junkie building with drug addicts and prostitutes and the whole package that comes with the underbelly of New York. Life is tough for the family; Johnny tries to get a role in Broadway but is unsuccessful. The parents are not able to maintain a joyous face in front of their children, with poverty and past sorrows wearing them down. As they go through the hot and humid summer, then Fall and Winter and through a childbirth, they come to deal with the death of Frankie and end up with a positive look at the future.
This kind of setting seems to be perfect for a sappy tearjerker, but surprisingly, the film was not that bad. I think it is mainly because of the Bolger sisters, who are perfect as the joyful young daughters. They bring on screen a vibrant energy that seems to infect other actors too. It is as though they are living out their lives in New York. The girls befriend a neighbour who is a loner and a drug addict, Mateo (Djimon Hounsou in an Oscar nominated performance). The interplay between the girls and Mateo brings in a refreshing change just when the movie was seemed to have lost its path.
The film was apparently written by Jim Sheridian with the help of his two daughters, resulting in a script that reflected a lot of their lives. For such a film, the casting is extremely important. I've not seen Paddy Considine before, and he does a good job reflecting the mental conflict that Johnny is going through. The surprise is Samantha Morton, who was nominated for the best actress Oscar for this role. I thought the film did well despite her presence! She does not deliver an Oscar calibre performance. Her pale looks don't suit the mood of the early part of the film.
Many of the deliberate symbolisms in the film come across as corny and unneedingly distracting from the film. For e.g., an ice cream parlor nearby is aptly titled 'Heaven', where Sarah sends the girls to and tells Johnny that 'Don't worry, they are in Heaven'. Such gimmicks were not necessary with such a fine script and I think it actually brings down the well-meant intentions of the film.
'In America' is a film that appeals as a diary of urban living, as a family story dealing with the relationships, or as a movie on a family trying to get over a tragedy. I would rate it as one of the best films of 2003.
- Balaji (bb).
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