In America

To embrace the more fabulist elements of director Jim Sheridan's fond semi-autobiographical parable about an Irish immigrant family trying to make good in New York's dilapidated, drug-plagued Hell's Kitchen, one must remember that it's a grownup film narrated from the perspective of a sweet, philosophical, 11-year-old. In fact, the sublime performance of young Sarah Bolger is the key to understanding how this dangerous neighborhood could feel like a carnival of curios to be collected through her omnipresent camcorder. But the girl's rose-colored view of the family's hard-knock life is balanced with a melancholy undercurrent, fueled by the unspoken void left by the accidental death of her brother--an event that takes place before the story commences, but nevertheless casts a long shadow. Paddy Considine and Oscar-nominee Samantha Morton are the girl's struggling parents, a couple whose children are part of every breath they take. Oscar-nominee Djimon Hounsou is also potent as a volatile neighbor who begins the film as a boogieman figure but soon becomes Bolger's best friend and the family's guardian angel. While In America often feels overly sanguine and symbolic, it is after all a fable--and a powerfully moving one at that. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include both widescreen and full screen versions, audio commentary by co-writer/director Jim Sheridan, a “making of” featurette, and 10 deleted scenes with optional director commentary, including the original ending. Bottom line: a solid extras package--and it's always nice to have both viewing formats on one disc--for one of 2003's better films.] (R. Blackwelder)