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'In America' is about the struggles of a poor immigrants from Ireland as they arrive in New York hoping to secure a better life for themselves. Jim Sheridan's potent drama has perhaps more relevance now than it did in 2002, when it was first released Johnny Sullivan (Paddy Considine) and his wife Sarah (Samantha Morton) are still distraught over the death of their son, Frankie. Johnny is an actor desperately searching for work; he has mastered many different kinds of accents, but has trouble expressing heartfelt emotion, which gets him rejected from many of the roles he auditions for. He shut himself off emotionally after Frankie died; Sarah seems eager to have another baby to replace Frankie. They have two daughters, Christy and Ariel (Sarah, Emma Bolger). Christy carries her camcorder everywhere; Ariel is talkative, curious, and friendly. The girls befriend the mysterious artist downstairs, named Mateo (Djimon Hounsou). He has AIDS, and his health rapidly deteriorates, but he enjoys the company, and takes pleasure in watching them live their lives. John is initially distrustful of Mateo, who is often heard screaming loudly and has the words Keep Away posted on his door. Sarah is determined to have the baby, even though the doctor tells her it may kill her. She and John argue over this. The building they move into is filled with junkies and other riffraff, a potentially dangerous place, but no harm befalls them. This apartment is all they can afford; the onset of summer brings with it sweltering heat, and Johnny drags home a cheap air conditioner through the busy streets, carrying it up multiple flights of stairs, obviously exhausted, but he successfully places it in the window, only to find that he needs a different plug to make it fit the electrical socket. The plug costs $1.99, and Johnny is 25 cents short, but the clerk refuses to sell it to him without the exact amount. The clerk, like Johnny, does not earn much money, values his job, and is not willing to cut corners or make exceptions. In another scene, Johnny risks his entire bank account to play a carnival game and win an ET doll for Ariel; they have just finished watching ET at a local theater, and Ariel is enthralled by it, like children everywhere. Johnny keeps playing because he does not want to disappoint his kids, he has promised Ariel that doll, and will do whatever it takes to get it for her. At home, Johnny feels inadequate and insecure, worried that he cannot provide for his family. Johnny is humiliated by his poverty; take, for instance, the way he pretends not to be troubled by a $5000 hospital bill. John drives a cab in order to pay for Ariel and Christy to attend a Catholic school; Sarah makes the costumes they wear to a Halloween party, the other kids, in costumes they have purchased, stare at them, which hurts and embarrasses Christy. Jim Sheridan wrote the script along with his two daughters, Naomi and Kristen, and this is an intensely personal film, though not autobiographical. The story touches on universal themes that could be applied to immigrants of every type, those who have given up everything to try for a better life in another country. America is often the most popular destination, and we should be proud that this nation is so appealing and inviting to so many different kinds of people. Samantha Morton earned an Oscar nomination for her extraordinary performance, which follows her work in Minority Report and Sweet and Lowdown in illustrating how she can convey so much with so little, communicating more in moments of silence, than with actual dialogue. She is an awesome and commanding presence. Ariel and Christy are played by real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger, superb and mature beyond their years, especially Christy. Paddy Considine is magnificent as Johnny, a man who earns our sympathy despite his mistakes, because we can clearly see how devoted he is to his family. Djimon Hounsou is mesmerizing as Mateo, who is initially intimidating, but radiates with warmth, gentility, and kindness. What is meant by those scenes late in the movie, where Mateo seems to chant a mystical incantation that breathes life into the Sullivan baby, whose survival is uncertain after receiving a blood transfusion? Mateo also has paid off Johnny's hospital debt, more than $30,000 worth, implying that he was secretly quite rich, and capable of great charity. The film ends on a note of hope and optimism, and Johnny also confronts his grief, and learns to cry again. Among Sheridan's finest. email this review to a friend
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