By Alicia Roache, Staff Reporter
From left, Johnny (Paddy Considine), Ariel (Emma Bolger), Sarah (Samantha Morton) and Christy (Sarah Bolger) in a scene from the movie 'In America'.
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IN AMERICA is a magical tale of love, loss and hope. The movie, loosely based on writer/Director Jim Sheridan's life, surrounds a family's effort to find its soul in the United States Of America. Sarah and Johnny Sullivan (Samantha Morton from Minority Report and Paddy Considine from 24 Hour Party People) move from Ireland with their two daughters Christy and Ariel (Sarah and Emma Bolger) to pursue the American dream.
However, they soon realize, from the moment Sullivan drags the air conditioning unit from the streets and up the stairs to their dilapidated apartment and later when he gambles at a fair that 'in America', some things are based on precarious chance and most others on desperate struggle.
The story is told from the perspective of the two young girls, who though at first scared of their new surroundings plagued by drug addicts and transvestites, remain remarkably hopeful. This perspective affords the story a very raw yet, humourous view. Had it continued along this line the movie would have been great, but it falls into the realm of a relatively good movie when it moves from 'real' to magical with the presentation of the enigmatic and screaming neighbour Mateo (Djimon Hounsou from Amistad), who though presented as the devil materializes as their saviour by the end.
Hounsou, with his performance as the troubled neighbour, had by far the most demanding role in trying to convey a clichéd character in a very convincing way. Hounsou plays in this movie the same role as Michael Clarke Duncan/John Coffey in The Green Mile. He is as kind as he is big and scary. Though Hounsou plays the role well, this movie is not worthy of him.
Samantha Morton is riveting as the wife of the troubled Johnny. But the ever-present issue of loss and pain with which Sarah and Johnny have to grapple makes the movie drag on a bit too much and by the final, predictable end, you may be too relieved to see them go. The antics and reasonings of the two girls, Christy and Ariel, inject life and warmth into an otherwise lifeless script and they are the real stars of the movie.
