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# Jim Sheridan's 'In America' Is a Moving Tale of Irish Immigrant Grief and Renewal
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/review-20031212/
- Published: 2003-12-12T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T03:19:31.000Z
- Author: Dan Dunn
- Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Audiences, characters find comfort ‘In America’*

The skeptic in me was certain this tale of Irish immigrants who come to the United States seeking refuge from a tragic past was going to implode under the weight of its own shameless sentimentality. The skeptic in me was wrong. Very, very wrong. Yes, “In America” unabashedly wears its broken heart on its tattered sleeve, but no, it isn’t the maudlin mess it might have been had it been hatched by a lesser talent. With masterful efficacy, Jim Sheridan (“In The Name Of The Father,” “My Left Foot”) has wrought an inescapably moving elegy about pain and loss and hope and renewal as seen through the eyes of two immeasurably adorable little girls.

Christy and Ariel (sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger, making remarkable film debuts) are whisked away to New York by their parents Johnny and Sarah (Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton) in the wake of the devastating death of their infant brother, Frankie. The family is clearly in need of the change of scenery, yet their new life stalls before it begins, as Johnny and Sarah struggle to keep it together in the face of poverty, the Hells Kitchen summer heat and an erosive cycle of grief. Johnny, in particular, bears the scars of Frankie’s passing — a burden made all the more unendurable because his inability to muster any passion prevents him from landing the acting jobs he needs to support his family. Rising British star Considine brings great emotional power to the role of Johnny, and Morton’s quiet intensity is a most effective equipoise. It should be noted that after uttering nary a word in “Minority Report” and nothing at all in “The Sweet and Lowdown,” the gifted actress proves to be even better when given something to say.

And you read it here first: One of the Bolger sisters is going to be a surprise nominee for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Kudos to Sheridan, not only for coaxing amazing performances out of two inexperienced girls, but for having the confidence to place his semi-autobiographical tale squarely on their little shoulders. (Rated PG-13 for some sexuality, drug references, brief violence and language. Running time: 103 minutes)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 12, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/121203.pdf?ref=smdp.com)