Big themes, small film

America has worked so hard to compress all its disparate elements into a cohesive whole that we have projected our national character onto the consciousness of the globe. America is more than a country, it's an idea. With "In America," Irish-American writer/director Jim Sheridan and his daughters/co-screenwriters Naomi and Kirsten tell a semi-autobiographical story of a family fighting for redemption against the backdrop of Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan. \nFollowing the death of their son, Johnny (Paddy Considine) and Sarah (Samantha Morton) sneak into America at the New York/Ontario border with their two daughters, 11-year-old Christy and 7-year-old Ariel (real-life sisters Sarah and Emma Bolger). Flat broke, they move into a huge, decrepit building inhabited by junkies, petty hoods and a screaming artist named Mateo (Djimon Hounsou). Sarah takes odd jobs while Johnny struggles to find work as a stage actor, and the family struggles with the ghost of their lost son and brother. \nThe story is told through Christy's narration and her ever present camcorder. From the alienation of learning the subtleties of American holidays to getting to know their unsavory neighbors, Sheridan's script is performed masterfully by actors who express the subtle details for which there aren't words. Each member of the family is paralyzed in some way by the death of the child and they keep their suffering private. It takes months for them to realize that they can't embrace a future until they release their grip on the past. Christy and Ariel reach out to their artist neighbor Mateo, who is a catalyst for the family's healing process.\nThe filmmakers made a few interesting choices in shooting and editing this film. The first shots we see are through Christy's camcorder at the U.S./Canadian border. Every so often, shots cut from her shooting video of something to the actual video image itself. What better way to identify with characters than to share in their home movies? Christy relates to the world through her camcorder, and at one point she says in her voiceover that she'll fast forward through a boring part of her family's story; sure enough, the characters start zooming around in fast forward. \n"In America" is a small film about big issues. The cast is nearly flawless and the story is powerfully moving without the pretense of a melodrama stretching for an Oscar or a Golden Globe. Funny, heartbreaking and riveting, this film is essential.