In America (2002)

A family of Irish immigrants adjust to life on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen while also grieving the death of a child.

Director:

Jim Sheridan

Writers:

Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan

Stars:

Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Djimon Hounsou

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 26 wins & 63 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paddy Considine	...	Johnny
Samantha Morton	...	Sarah
Sarah Bolger	...	Christy
Emma Bolger	...	Ariel
Neal Jones	...	Immigration Officer #1
Randall Carlton	...	Immigration Officer #2
Ciaran Cronin	...	Frankie
Djimon Hounsou	...	Mateo
Juan Carlos Hernández	...	Papo (as Juan Hernandez)
Nye Heron	...	Blind Man
Jason Salkey	...	Tony
Rene Millan	...	Steve
Sara James	...	Papo's Girlfriend
Bob Gallico	...	Theatre Director
Jason Killalee	...	Assistant Theatre Director

Storyline

Following the tragic death of their five-year-old son Frankie, Irish couple Johnny and Sarah Sullivan and their remaining two offspring, 10 year old Christy Sullivan and 5 year old Ariel Sullivan, emigrate illegally to the United States via Canada with little in their pockets. Their final destination is Manhattan where Johnny hopes to work as a stage actor. They move into a unit in a run town tenement housed primarily with drug addicts, transvestites and one tenant coined "the man who screams". They do whatever they can to eke out a supportive family environment in this difficult situation, the support which ultimately extends to those around them, most specifically "the screamer" who turns out to be an African-American artist named Mateo with AIDS. But the memory of Frankie hangs over the family in good and bad ways, especially as Sarah learns she's pregnant. Christy, who records their life's goings-on with her beloved camcorder, believes that the angel of Frankie has granted her ...

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Plot Keywords:

irish immigrant | new york | lemon drop | sex | f rated | 

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Taglines:

One family's coming of age story.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexuality, drug references, brief violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

During casting calls, director Jim Sheridan recalls that after a long day of auditions, he was very glad to have found Emma Bolger to play Ariel. He said that that little girl "told" him that he had to cast her sister Sarah Bolger as Christy. Sarah was only 10, and he had wanted Chirsty to be 12 or 13. After exhausting all other options, he auditioned Sarah for the part of Christy and she turned out to be so impressive that he didn't mind about her age.

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Goofs

In the shop in New York, a neon sign in the background reads "Take Away" which is actually the European phrase for take out food, and the sugar packets on the tables are tubes, which are also used mostly in Europe.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Christy: [voiceover] There's some things you should wish for and some things you shouldn't. That's what my little brother Frankie told me. He told me I only had three wishes, and I looked into his eyes, and I don't know why I believed him.

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Connections

Featured in The 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards (2004)

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Soundtracks

La Bamba
Traditional
Arranged by El Son
Published by Extreme Music Library PLC
Courtesy of Extreme Music Library PLC

User Reviews

Beautiful

I love this little film. I was pregnant at the time when I saw it with my husband who is from Ireland. We both enjoyed the film for it's romance, it's humanity, and qualities that were so earthy and yet somehow ethereal. It was both beautiful and moving--one of those rare finds that illuminates, truth, beauty, and the honesty that art can evoke. Art--especially the theater and cinema has the power to inspire and can be so powerful. This film is living proof of that. The film has an integrity and a quality of strength that few films ever capture. It is my dream to both create and perform in little films like this. I want to inspire and create something that makes a spiritual leap--something that lasts and endures for all time because of its quality of a diamond in the rough. If you want to see something a bit unusual, though provoking, emotional, and rare--see this film.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Ireland UK USA

Language:

English Spanish Irish

Release Date:

6 February 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

In America

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$205,229, 30 November 2003

Gross USA:

$15,539,656

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,382,911

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hell's Kitchen Films, East of Harlem (UK) Ltd., Irish Film Industry

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1