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Information about In America

In America
Directed byJim Sheridan
Produced byJim Sheridan,
Arthur Lappin
Written byJim Sheridan,
Naomi Sheridan,
Kirsten Sheridan
StarringPaddy Considine,
Samantha Morton,
Sarah Bolger,
Emma Bolger,
Djimon Hounsou
Distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures
Release date(s)September 13, 2002, World Premiere
October 31, 2003, UK
November 26, 2003, US
Running time105 min.
LanguageEnglish
IMDb profile


In America is a 2002 film directed by Jim Sheridan, and co-written by Sheridan and his daughters Naomi and Kirsten. The character of Frankie, the deceased brother, was based on Jim Sheridan's real-life late brother, also named Frankie. The movie stars Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Sarah Bolger, Emma Bolger, and Djimon Hounsou.

Plot

In the film, an Irish couple immigrate to the United States with their two young girls, Ariel and Christy, to start a new life in another country following the death of the girls' brother, Frankie, back in Ireland. An early voice-over sets the film in the early 1980s, but later casual references are inconsistent and the film often looks decidedly more contemporary (for instance, when Johnny is dragging an air conditioning unit across the street, a year 2000 Mustang can be seen weaving through traffic). The film is narrated by Christy, the elder of the two young girls, though it focuses on the whole family's trials and tribulations and in parts is given something of a fairy tale spin derived from the girls' perspective.

The family are short on money and move into a rundown apartment building in Hell's Kitchen, known locally as the "junkies' building." Despite their impoverishment, their initial joy of being in America and the closeness of the family gives them the energy to make the most of what they have. The mother, Sarah, gets a job in Heaven, a local ice-cream parlor, to support the family while Johnny, the girls' father, struggles to get work as an actor.

However, both Johnny and Sarah are unable to get over the sorrow, and guilt, of the still-recent death of Frankie. Following the accident, the once-Catholic Johnny renounced God and lost any ability to feel true emotions, which changed his relationship with his family. As money runs low and New York's temperatures soar, the family discovers that Sarah is pregnant with a child whose birth could be fatal for her. Tensions between Johnny and Sarah begin to arise.

At the same time, we are introduced to Mateo, a resident of the building and previously known to the girls' as 'the man who screams', a faceless voice behind an apartment door marked "Keep Away". The family - first the girls and then the parents - befriend Mateo, though Johnny is reticent at first as Mateo gives him the "heebie jeebies". Johnny's relationship to Mateo changes, however, following a dispute in which he learns that Mateo is dying of AIDS.

Mateo is an artist, and is shown to have a somehow spiritual bond to the family; his frenzied rage and blood-letting on a tempestous New York evening coincides with the conception of the family's new child. At one stage in his illness, he falls down a flight of stairs, and is knocked unconscious. Christy believes that he requires CPR, and attempts to administer the procedure herself. Before the transfusion the girls fret that she might have the same disease, but decide, conclusively, in their fairytale manner, that she cannot. However, something of the link between Mateo's blood and the new baby remains. Mateo's deterioration dovetails with the growth of Sarah and Johnny's child. The baby is born premature and unwell as Mateo heads towards his end, and the paths cross over in finality when the premature death of Mateo coincides with the first healthy movements of the new baby, following a blood transfusion from Christy. With the birth of the new baby and the death of Mateo, Johnny is finally able to overcome his lack of emotion and refusal of God and put his grieving for Frankie to rest.

Spiritual topics play a part in the film, with both the rebirth of Mateo as a new member of the family and the ideas of a life after death touched upon. Johnny's refusal of God after his child's death relate a common anger against God's "mysterious ways".

Oscar Nominations

The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Djimon Hounsou), Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Samantha Morton) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Jim Sheridan, Naomi Sheridan and Kirsten Sheridan).

Other awards

Won

Nominated

  • British Independent Film Awards:
  • Best Actor (Paddy Considine)
  • Best Actress (Samantha Morton)
  • Best Director (Jim Sheridan)
  • Broadcast Film Critics:
  • Best Actress (Samantha Morton)
  • Best Director (Jim Sheridan)
  • Best Picture
  • Best Song ("Time Enough for Tears")
  • Best Young Actor/Actress (Emma Bolger)
  • Best Young Actor/Actress (Sarah Bolger)
  • '''Golden Globe Awards:
  • Best Original Song - "Time Enough For Tears"
  • Best Screenplay (Jim, Kirsten and Naomi Sheridan)
  • Golden Trailer Awards:
  • Best Drama
  • Image Awards:
  • Best Supporting Actor (Djimon Hounsou)
  • Independent Spirit Awards:
  • Best Actress (Samantha Morton)
  • Best Director (Jim Sheridan)
  • Best Feature
  • Best Supporting Actress (Sarah Bolger)
  • Online Film Critics:
  • Best Screenplay - Original (Jim, Kirsten and Naomi Sheridan)
  • Screen Actors Guild (SAG):
  • Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
  • Writers Guild of America (WAG):
  • Best Original Screenplay (Jim, Kirsten and Naomi Sheridan)

External links

Jim Sheridan (born February 6, 1949) is a six time Academy Award nominated[1] film director who was born in Dublin, Ireland. Initially educated by the Irish Christian Brothers he later graduated from University College Dublin.
..... Click the link for more information.
Jim Sheridan (born February 6, 1949) is a six time Academy Award nominated[1] film director who was born in Dublin, Ireland. Initially educated by the Irish Christian Brothers he later graduated from University College Dublin.
..... Click the link for more information.
Jim Sheridan (born February 6, 1949) is a six time Academy Award nominated[1] film director who was born in Dublin, Ireland. Initially educated by the Irish Christian Brothers he later graduated from University College Dublin.
..... Click the link for more information.
Paddy Considine

Birth name Patrick Considine
Born September 5 1973 (1973--) (age 34)
Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Died


..... Click the link for more information.
Samantha Morton

Morton as Myra Hindley in Longford

Born May 13 1977 (1977--) (age 30)
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Awards

..... Click the link for more information.
Sarah Bolger (born 28 February 1991 in Dublin,Ireland) is an Irish actress. Her parents are named Monica and Derek and she has a younger sister named Emma.

Filmography

  • The Spiderwick Chronicles (filming)Mallory Grace

..... Click the link for more information.
Djimon Gaston Hounsou

Birth name Djimon Gaston Hounsou
Born March 24 1964 (1964--) (age 43)
Cotonou, Benin

Awards
Academy Awards
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Fox Searchlight Pictures is the specialty film division of 20th Century Fox, established in 1994. It has a more indie slant than its parent company, and has produced and/or distributed films.
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September 13 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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October 31 is the feast day of the following Roman Catholic Saints:
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    20th century - 21st century - 22nd century
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    Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.
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    Jim Sheridan (born February 6, 1949) is a six time Academy Award nominated[1] film director who was born in Dublin, Ireland. Initially educated by the Irish Christian Brothers he later graduated from University College Dublin.
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Paddy Considine

    Birth name Patrick Considine
    Born September 5 1973 (1973--) (age 34)
    Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
    Died


    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Samantha Morton

    Morton as Myra Hindley in Longford

    Born May 13 1977 (1977--) (age 30)
    Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

    Awards

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Sarah Bolger (born 28 February 1991 in Dublin,Ireland) is an Irish actress. Her parents are named Monica and Derek and she has a younger sister named Emma.

    Filmography

    • The Spiderwick Chronicles (filming)Mallory Grace

    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Djimon Gaston Hounsou

    Birth name Djimon Gaston Hounsou
    Born March 24 1964 (1964--) (age 43)
    Cotonou, Benin

    Awards
    Academy Awards
    ..... Click the link for more information.
    Ireland
    Éire
    Airlann     <nowiki />

    Northwest of continental Europe with Great Britain to the east.

    Geography <nowiki/>
    Location Western Europe <nowiki />
    Archipelago
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    Motto
    "In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
    "E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
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    fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional story that usually features folkloric characters (such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and talking animals) and enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events.
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    Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City that includes roughly the area between 34th Street and 57th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River.
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    Ice cream or ice-cream (originally iced cream) is a frozen dessert made from dairy products, such as cream (or substituted ingredients), combined with flavorings and sweeteners, such as sugar.
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    Catholic is an adjective derived from the Greek adjective καθολικός, meaning "general; universal" (cf. Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon) .
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    Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
    Classification & external resources

    The Red ribbon is a symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS.
    ICD-10 B 24.
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    Academy Award

    Awarded for Excellence in cinematic achievements
    Presented by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
    Country United States
    First awarded May 16, 1929 to honor achievements of 1927/1928
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    Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry.
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