Family fortunes In America

Sheridan's wonderfully observed and executed 'family saga' has been garnering awards from various festivals around the world … and we can see why.

In America

Director: Jim Sheridan

Cast: Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton, Sarah Bolger, Emma Bolger, Djimon Hounsou

Cert: 12.

Sheridan's wonderfully observed and executed 'family saga' - based on his own experiences when he, his wife and daughters first went to New York in the early l980s - has been garnering awards from various festivals around the world ... and we can see why.

He has fashioned a gem of a film with a great deal of heart, played to perfection by a cast at the peak of its collective abilities. The film, set over the course of one year in New York, is a warm-hearted delight.

The story of Johnny Sullivan and his family trying to make a life for themselves in a strange land is told with wit and a fine understanding of the human spirit, and Sheridan could not have been better served by the playing of Considine, Morton and, wonderfully, by the little Dublin sisters Sarah and Emma, who steal both the show and your hearts.

There are many fine films coming out of Ireland these days - just as the tax incentives are about to be withdrawn (Governments, eh, what can you say about them and their shooting-of-the-foot decisions?) - and this is the perfect example of a film-maker turning to his own experiences to find a story we could all have taken part in.

Star Rating: 5/5