In America
DVD
Directed by Jim Sheridan
Starring Sarah Bolger, Emma Bolger, Paddy Considine, Djimon Hounsou, Samantha Morton
2003

A little girl by the name of Christy (Sarah Bolger) comes to America, Manhattan specifically, from Ireland and captures everything on her little red camcorder. She tapes anything she finds interesting, and that can be a lot. This camcorder sees everything from normal people walking the streets of Manhattan, a little girl beautifully singing Desperado, and even the end of days for two people she dearly loves. She lies on the top bunk, younger sister Ariel (Emma Bolger) on the bottom, and replays these happenings every night on her little video screen.

Some movies shake our emotions, others give us goosebumps, others even make us feel an overwhelming sense of joy but it’s a rarity that one single movie can possess all three of these golden qualities. In America (2003) is that rarity. It works mainly because of the performances but mostly due to the fact that director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot) handles the movie with such delicacy and care because he dedicates this film to his younger brother Frankie who went through a battle with cancer. With that said he creates a realm of reality so personal that the least this movie can do to the human body is to resonate through its soul.