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In America   ...   movie reviews
tue 2005-apr-26 11:24:54 pdt   ...   permalink


Saturday we watched In America. I knew almost nothing about it going in, which of course is how I like to see movies. It was really great. The story is engrossing, and the actors are great, especially the two little girls.

Really minor complaint -- it's not really clear when the film is supposed to be set. Presumably because it's partially autobiographical, certain things are clearly drawn from the early eighties when the director/co-writer himself actually came to the US, such as E.T. being in theaters and popular. But then other things -- the 10-year-old's camcorder, for example -- kind of require placing it more like late nineties or early zeroties (or whatever we're supposed to be calling this decade).

But in the end, such details don't really matter. The story, as I mentioned, is quite engrossing, regardless of time. The very last scene (and one moment in particular) actually made shed a few tears, something I haven't done in a movie in a very long time; I've felt a bit teary-eyed now and then -- for example, during My Life Without Me, I think -- but haven't actually had tears going down my cheeks. Anyway, it wasn't really that this moment was so incredibly sad, it was just the way it was done, I guess. Or perhaps it's more just about the particular kind of sad, or something. I dunno.

In any case, highly recommended.


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tue 2005-apr-26 18:30:54 pdt
posted by
Martha

I was annoyed that it was a tear-jerker, it just seemed more melodramatic than it needed to be. But I agree, the girls were so good they carried the whole film. I do remember loving the bit about the air conditioner, too.


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