In America (film)

• Paddy Considine as Johnny
• Samantha Morton as Sarah
• Sarah Bolger as Christy
• Emma Bolger as Ariel
• Djimon Hounsou as Mateo

In America Director is an Irish- British feature film from the year 2002. At the award-winning drama led Jim Sheridan, who also wrote the semi -autobiographical screenplay with his daughters Naomi and Kirsten. The main roles were played by Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton and Sarah and Emma Bolger. The film of Hell's Kitchen and film East of Harlem (UK) Ltd was produced ..

Action

An Irish family consisting of the learned actor Johnny and his wife Sarah and their two young daughters, six-year old Ariel and the ten -year-old Christy, emigrated in the 1980s illegally across Canada to the United States. Frankie, the third child, died in Ireland. The five- year-old had suffered from a brain tumor since he was two years of a staircase. The family wants to make the move all the problems in Ireland and start a new life in America.

The family is in New York initially no place to stay, but eventually comes under in a rundown tenement in Hell's Kitchen, which is in the area known as " Junkie house". The family renovated the apartment a bit. Johnny auditions for theaters, but received no work, since, as he and his wife think that since the death of her son can not feel anything. Since money is tight, Sarah begins to work in an ice cream shop and Johnny tries for a short time as a taxi driver.

At Halloween, the children at the school event the only ones with homemade costumes and learned that the children go to the United States from house to house to get candy. When they go in the " Junkie house" from apartment to apartment, only makes on the fourth the door, the bitter black Mateo, who is known as " the screaming man ' in the house and the apartment is fully equipped with own paintings and other works of art. The two children become friends quickly with the man, while Johnny against him remains suspicious and only developed sympathy for him when he angry about his son's death, learns that Mateo was suffering from HIV and did not have long to live.

Sarah is pregnant. But it occurred to complications with the pregnancy and the baby must be born before the nine months. Would it come later, would be Sarah's survival is not guaranteed, while a premature birth, the baby might have trouble. Sarah finally has already weeks before the birth of the hospital and also Mateos condition worsens. The hospital costs, however, are too expensive for the family living in poverty, which is why Johnny desperately looking for a job as an actor.

When the baby is premature, born, his condition is initially unstable. Through a blood transfusion from his sister Christy but it is saved. She wakes up in the moment in which Mateo dies, who has without letting the family know paid the full hospital costs. Sarah and the baby are discharged from the hospital and Johnny finds work at the theater.

Johnny sits in the evening on the balcony of the apartment, staring at the moon and calls the two children to him. Call Mateo goodbyes into the night. It succeeds Christy to move her father to finally say goodbye to Frankie; only because he can feel tears of pain and sadness again.

Genesis

Jim Sheridan dedicated the film to his brother Frankie, who has fallen down the stairs and died nine years. He actually wanted to make a film about his brother, the story mixed but then with his own life and that of his father. Sheridan emigrated in 1981 even with his family across Canada illegally in the U.S. because he had got problems in his native Ireland because of his work in the theater. Several scenes in the movie has seen itself Sheridan. After the director had written two screenplay drafts and was not satisfied with this, he picked up his daughters Naomi and Kirsten for help, who then supported him with the script. Since his daughters more kids would put at the center, he wrote the part of the children. Nevertheless, the film from the perspective of ten -year-old Christy is told who like films with her camcorder. Some points in the film will be shown from the shaky view of this camcorder.

After Ariel had occupied with Emma Bolger, Sheridan pointed this out that he should be her sister Sarah for the role of Christy audition, which was eventually occupied. Originally they wanted to fill a twelve- or thirteen- year-old for the role of Christy, but at the time of casting ten year-old Sarah impressed the filmmakers so much that they took them.

Reception

In America premiered on 13 September 2002 at the Toronto Film Festival. In the following months, the film was shown at several film festivals, such as at the Sundance Film Festival and the Hamburg Film Festival. It was only on 31 October 2003, over a year after the premiere, the film came in the British cinema, where he was seen 397,098 times. This was followed by theatrical release in other European, but also Asian and North and South American countries. In Germany the film was released on 11 December 2003 in the cinemas in Austria a day later and in German-speaking Switzerland, on 15 January 2004. A huge commercial success, the film was in the USA, where he recorded more than fifteen million dollars.

The majority of the critics took the film to positive. They especially praised the performer and that the film will not corny despite the emotionally stressed action. For example, wrote the lexicon of international film: ". The excellent acting performances, as well as the captivating visual realization compress the excellent screenplay for a film that encourages long lasting effect and to reflect on the themes of death, family and home " Negative votes thought the film was belehrig and tränendrüsig.

Awards

On the High Falls Film Festival and the AFI Fest 2003, the film won the Audience Award. On the Flanders International Film Festival, the film received the Golden Trail, on the Heartland Film Festival the Heartland Award of Excellence. At the Bangkok International Film Festival 2004 Sheridan won the Golden Kinaree Award for Best Director.

At the Academy Awards in 2004, the film was nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category, but could not prevail against Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola himself. Samantha Morton was awarded for her portrayal of Sarah a nomination for Best Actress, Djimon Hounsou for his performance of the Mateo an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Both, however, were beaten by other actors. For the song "Time Enough For Tears" Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Sneezer were nominated Best Original Song for the Golden Globe in the category. The three screenwriters were nominated for Best Screenplay.

Independent Spirit Award Declan Quinn won for Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor Djimon Hounsou. The film also nominated supporting actress was in the categories of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress ( Samantha Morton ) and Best (Sarah Bolger ). In the Satellite Awards, the film won in the Best Drama, Best Director and Djimoun Hounsou as Best Supporting Actor. Also nominated were Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton and Emma Bolger. The entire cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

The Golden Trailer Awards, the film was nominated for Best Drama. Djimon Hounsou was nominated for an Image Award and won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award. The National Board of Review drew from the screenplay of the film, the Writers Guild of America nominated it. The Online Film Critics Society Awards was in America also nominated for Best Original Screenplay in the category. The Stanley Kramer Award received Jim Sheridan and producer Arthur Lappin at the PGA Golden Laurel Awards. Emma Bolger won the Young Artist Award in the category Best Performance in a Feature Film - Actor to 10 years of age or younger. The film itself was also for Best Family Film - nominated drama.