In America

So last night I went and saw In America. I was a bit worried at first, because the opening scene involved the super-played-out scene where immigrants come in to New York for the first time waving and pointing at all the huge neon signs and all the various sights. Cheeeeese.

But then the movie changed, and that cheesiness was contrasted with the family moving in to a crappy apartment full of junkies. I won’t give away anymore of the movie, but I must say it was one of the best I’ve seen in a long time (though, I do admit I don’t get out to too many movies these days).

The most interesting parts to note are the sense of fragility that the film made me feel. At any given point in the film I felt as if this delicate family could be ripped apart any second. At first I thought it was just my mind getting a bit morbid, but my brother and my mom both felt the same way. Although we couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was that made us feel this way, it was clearly something that the director meant to instill. Truly amazing.

Also amazing were the performances of both girls, but especially the younger one, Emma. This little girl was absolutely perfect.

I didn’t know anything about this movie when I got in to the theater (I like it better that way usually), but I was surprised to see that the film credits were to Jim Sheridan and his daughters Naomi and Kirsten… dedicated to Frankie Sheridan. I’m not sure how much of the story was a true story and how much was made up, but it was really neat to know that someone actually experienced at least some of what would otherwise just be a heartwarming story.