"In America has some of the most beautiful, hilarious and uplifting moments of any movie this year. It treads on that fine line between heartfelt sentiment and unbearable whimsy, miraculously never falling into the latter." Collin Souter EFILMCRITIC.COM "A sentimental gem that makes you believe in magic." Phil Villarreal ARIZONA DAILY STAR "Award-winning caliber performances from the entire cast and stellar writing/direction from Sheridan. What a wonderful film!" John Venable SUPERCALA.COM "Thanks to Jim Sheridan's graceful, scrupulously sincere direction and the dry intelligence of his cast, In America is likely to pierce the defenses of all but the most dogmatically cynical viewers." AO Scott NEW YORK TIMES

What The Critics Say

"A deeply personal, wishful film from Dublin-born and -based director-writer Jim Sheridan, In America is easily one of the year's best features." Elias Savada, NITRATE ONLINE "A wondrously emotional film, one that sneakily dismantles your defenses and purges grief you didn't realize you had." Carrie Rickey PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER "Storytelling at its best." Jon Popick PLANET SICK-BOY "Insightful, joyous and positively heart-stopping." Rex Reed NEW YORK OBSERVER "Richly observed, beautifully written and performed." Michael Rechtshaffen HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

At A Glance It's a, sweet, charming, witty, sad, robust story this "In America" and such a treat. A collaboration between Jim Sheridan, [the acclaimed writer and director who's name has appeared on such beautiful films as "The Field" and the Academy Award® winners "My Left Foot" and "In The name Of The Father"] and his two daughters Naomi & Kirsten, "In America" is in part based on events that took place in their lives. Sheridan is known throughout the industry for being meticulous about his work and that shines through yet again in this latest effort, the Academy Award® nominated "In America". Sheridan himself is a migrant having moved from his native Ireland to the states in 1982 after a stint as the artistic director of Dublin's fringe theater the Project Arts Center. It was a controversial parting of the ways over a production titled, "The Gay Sweat Shop" which saw him relocate to New York arriving flat broke in the sweltering heat of summer with a family of four. Irelands loss was the world's gain for it was here, while running the New York Irish Arts Center, that Sheridan enrolled at the New York University and studied film making. His 1989 film "My Left Foot" was acclaimed the world over, earning Oscars for its stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Brenda Fricker and nominations for Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. A cavalcade of rich stories followed and Sheridan has never looked back. So what is the story behind the making of his latest film which includes his real life experiences as a migrant? For the answers to that question we must go back to the last century, to a time in 1989, just after he became an Oscar® nominee for "My Left foot". A time when he was looking back into his past. In Los Angeles for the Oscars® he would run into an friend and neighbor from those tumultuous days in Hell's Kitchen. It led to reminiscing about "mutual friends who had survived and gone on to successful artistic careers, as well as those who hadn't." Sheridan's friend reminded him about the place they'd lived in earlier remarking and that he believed their old house "was blessed." It struck a cord with him and as he says, "he began to envision a movie about that extraordinary time and place, one during which his family learned first-hand how the terrible and the miraculous can co-exist in life. Merging his memories of coming to live in America with remembrances of a personal family tragedy, Sheridan began to find a structure for his story. He created the characters not so much from actual life as from a merged-together amalgam of different family members and dozens of colorful people he met when he first arrived in New York." Sheridan added one special ingredient to "In America", one that is a big part on his life, the loss of his brother Frankie who died from a brain tumour. In "In America" Frankie becomes the linchpin for the tale of an Irish family, looking for a new beginning in the hustle and bustle of New York while all the time haunted and dogged by the tragic loss of young Frankie. Sheridan admits that it took years to write the screenplay as he struggled with "how to write about events so scarily close to real life, and to himself." So how close to the heart is "In America" to Sheridan's life as a migrant? "A lot of what takes place in the film really happened to us," says Sheridan. "I really did drag an air conditioner across New York, I really did lose a lot of money trying to win an amusement park doll and we really did have a premature baby, but I definitely changed and added a lot of things, including the time period. In fact, in some cases the truth was far too strange to work as fiction, and we wound up cutting out things that actually occurred because they seemed entirely too extraordinary." And what was it like having kids and living in what many would see as a risky environment?
"I always felt where we lived in New York was safe enough with the junkies and transvestites, but what is really dangerous is denial," Sheridan says. That is certainly evident in the film isn't it? Johnny seems plauged by self doubt, tragedy and denial. "Johnny has to face the idea that you can't protect your family from loss and uncertainty,' Sheridan explained, "certainly not by hiding. But you can love them, and love itself a kind of protection." And there is a lot of love but more than that "In America" is driven by the children and it is a tale told through the eyes of the girls, isn't it? What is your interpretation of the film?
"To me, the film is ultimately about wonder," he says. "It's about trying to see the world with a kind of child-like, magical quality. It's a view of Manhattan as an island of dreams that helps a family rediscover their deep bonds. I also like to think of it as a love poem to my wife and kids." There's also a lot of humour in the film isn't there? "I felt it was necessary to balance the story's overwhelming drama with entirely equal amounts of humor," he said. "A lot of it is really a fish-out-of-water story about what it's like to experience things such as Halloween and New York weather for the first time." And the Bolger sisters [Sarah & Emma] are a delight playing your own daughters. "These two girls were extraordinary, just amazing, almost miraculous in their naturalism. I wouldn't even call what they did performances, because they go beyond that," he said. "There really is a certain magic to them." And what did your daughters think? "My daughters say that the reason I liked working with the children so much in this film is that it was just like playing with my kids all over again, except that this time they did what they were told! But that wasn't true," says Sheridan. "They conspired against me, just like in real life."
One thing I was intrigued about, without taking anything away from the performances of the glorious main cast, was the story behind "the screaming man". Was it a difficult role to cast? Sheridan explained that Djimon Hounsou gave a powerful audition. "Djimon came in and just put a completely different spin on the character. I wasn't looking for someone like him, but I immediately realized how strong his spiritual presence was." So how did Hounsou see his catalystic character? "To me, Mateo's a very interesting man," he said. "one who has been rejected by his own family because of who he is, but then he finds a family with Johnny, Sarah and their girls at the last possible moment." There's no doubting many will find "In America" a raptuous film brim filled with marvellous characters and a wonderful tale that captures the heart, But how does Sheridan see it? "This is a hopeful, loving story about New York," he said. Casting About "In America" was directed by Jim Sheridan ["My Left Foot" and "In the Name of the Father", "The Boxer", "Agnes Brown" and "On the Edge"] and produced by Jim Sheridan andArthur Lappin ["My Left foot", "In the Name of the Father", "Borstal Boy" and "Bloody Sunday"].
"In America" stars Paddy Considine ["Last Resort", "Happy Now", "24 Hour Party People" and "Doctor Sleep"], Samantha Morton ["Under the Skin", "Sweet And Lowdown", "Pandaemonium" and "Minority Report"], Sarah Bolger ["Love Divided"], Emma Bolger, Jason Salkey ["The Fifth Element"", "Going Off Big Time " and "About a Boy"], Nick Dunning ["London Kills Me", "Super Grass", and "The Account"], and Djimon Hounsou ["Stargate", "Gladiator", "The Four Feathers" and "Biker Boyz"] as Mateo.
The Story "In America", the tale of an Irish immigrant family who re-settle in New York and their fight for survival. Johnny, Sarah and their two children are haunted by the memory of a recent tragic death in their family. They hope to make a new start once they cross the Canadian border and make it into the USA. They settle into an apartment in New York, a rundown tenement building inhabited by drug addicts and a man who screams in the night. The family struggles to survive the anguish of Frankies death and a lack of money until the girls decide to go treat or treating during Halloween. Finally, the girls knock on the door of the screaming man. The discovery the make will change them and their parents. Here, in the unlikeliest of places, they will all be healed, their souls cleansed and their sorrow will turn to joy. A family will be reborn. The Verdict "A film filled with heartfelt sorrow, abundant joy, dark mystery and immeasurable magic. "In America" is one of the most pleasurable films for a long while. Everything and everyone blends into a delicous mixture. As tempting as a rich chocolate fudge cake and just as tasty. Go see it." The Cast

Paddy Considine Samantha Morton Sarah Bolger Emma Bolger Ciaran Cronin Djimon Hounsou Juan Hernandez Nye Heron Jason Salkey Rene Millan Sara James Bob Gallico Jason Killalee Chary O'Dea Adrian Martinez Merrina Millsapp David Wike Guy Carleton Elaine Grollman Nick Dunning Michael Sean Tighe Jennifer Seifert

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Johnny Sarah Christy Ariel Frankie Mateo Papo Blind Man Tony Steve Papo's Girlfriend Theatre Director Assistant Theatre Director Mexican Woman Shopkeeper Marina Barker Man at Fair Nun Gynaecologist Frank Angela

The Crew Directed by Jim Sheridan Written by Jim Sheridan/Naomi Sheridan & Kirsten Sheridan Produced by Arthur Lappin and Jim Sheridan Original Music by Gavin Friday & Maurice Seezer Cinematography by Declan Quinn Film Editing by Naomi Geraghty Production Design by Mark Geraghty Art Direction by Susie Cullen Set Decoration by Johnny Byrne Costume Design by Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh Production Manager Jo Homewood Run Time 104 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Fox Searchlight - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved