I have to say, after I watched the heartwarming and terrific film In America, I was deeply moved by the loving family. For a long time, I can’t get out of their struggling story. Without any glaring special effects, just through a ten-year-old girl Christine’s narration, In America beats all the American blockbuster, in my eyes.

 At the beginning of the film, the shakily photographed opening scenes gives me a deep impression, which deliberately symbolizes the uncertainty of the future. Through the camcorder, the oldest daughter Christine sees the huge and brightly colored Big Apple. No one knows what’s waiting for the family, even for us… Around by the wows of the two kids in the car, let’s forget all the pains we had, facing the brand-new world.

To escape from the sad memories of their little son Frankie’s death, the young couple with two adorable daughters move into the U.S illegally, with dreams of a better life for their family. They are so poor that have to live in the slum of Manhattan, which is populated by junkies, drag queens, and assorted low-lifes. The new house is just passable, but the family are excited, with their aborative decoration, the house is filled with warmth. This is the point that touched me a lot, no matter how bad the real condition is, they never lose the heart. So, to some extent, In America is actually an inspiring film.

However, the loss of Frankie haunts every single one of the family. There are three plots I remember clearly until now. The first one is that when the immigration officer asks how many children they have, the dad still answers 3, in fact his son has been dead. And the second: after the mum gives birth to a new baby, she cries to the dad, looking for her lost son. The last one: before Christine gives a blood transfusion to the baby in danger, she announces seriously to her father, “Don’t ‘little girl’ me, I've been carrying this family on my back for more than a year.” Through the plots above, we can see the guilt and blame plague the couple all the time, and even their young daughters bear the family’s pain and try to heal their parents. Christine has been talking to Frankie every night, recalling the happy time when the family are in together. This is a children’s world that is often ignored by the adults. The director Jim Sheridan notices it, that’s commendable.

Besides the love between the family, In America gives us a glimpse of the true friendship. On their first Halloween in the states, the two girls dare to knock on the door of “the screaming man”,a black named Motell, in their building and played “trick or treat” with him, softening the dying man’s heart. Gradually, they develop a

sincere relationship. The family pull him out of his depression at the end of his life, show him their love, and make him have the last happy time. Unexpectedly, the kids’ opening arms, the whole family’s kindness finally pay off—Motell pay their debts to hospital as the last gift. We ache for him when his end comes. God bless him.

Undoubtedly, In America is a tear jerker in terms of its theme, about memory, secrets, love, loss, wishes, dreams, families growing stronger, starting over, and America as the land of opportunity, etc. Also it is elevated by strong performances by everyone involved. Paddy Considine plays Johnny, excellently showing a father who is devoted, protective, compassionate, a little crazy and weighed down by grief. And, needless to say, Samantha Morton, the famous actress, gives a stunning performance driven by the despair in her eyes. She captured every emotion a grieving mother goes through, and her nervous breakdown in the hospital is so emotionally gripping. But the most surprise is the real-world sisters, the genuine article of child actors, Sarah and Emma Bolger. They seem completely transparent, not just simple ‘cute kids’, but leave the impression they are not acting at all. When Christine sings “Desperado” at a school talent show, I nearly weep. It haunts me all the week, tugging my heartstrings.

And finally I want to add something else in the part of the text structure and the art of narratology. There are Christine’s three wishes and the image of ET throughout the whole film. The three wishes Christine prays to Frankie form the main frame of the film. And the image of ET emerges in the film several times, at a street fair, the dad wins an ET doll for the kids; a black man who calls himself an ET befriends the sisters; and the ET passes the moon like Santa Claus at the end of the film. In my opinion, maybe the ET represents the miracles, if you believe in hope and love, your dream will come true someday.

All in all, In America gives me so many levels of human emotion, purifying my soul. If only one word to describe it, that is, bravo!


http://ceh-870925.blog.163.com/blog/static/340173672008102322820365/

歡迎來到美國
　　那朦朧的星條旗，還有被遮蔽的太陽，有著無數(shù)的想象和未知。而伴著復雜和緊張的心情，來自愛爾蘭的約翰尼一家來到了美加邊境，美國已就在眼前。
　　邊境處讓人虛驚一場的警察，未見其影先聞其聲的曼哈頓（紐約），約翰尼一家駕車經過的燈火酒綠都與他們無關。他們在吸毒者和異裝癖混雜的貧民區(qū)找到了一個安家的地方，為了稍稍布置這個以前被鴿子占領的地方，他們還賣掉了越境用的汽車。終于來到了美國，而這家人要面對的未來依然艱辛。
　　最大的問題就是錢。妻子莎拉原來是個教師，現(xiàn)在在快餐店當了服務員。而丈夫約翰尼是個演員，但屢次試鏡不得后開起了出租車。紐約也到處是演員，都在尋找和等待著機會。一個家伙在出租車上發(fā)泄式的唱起了ＲＡＰ，被他厭惡的趕下了車。
　　稍稍安頓后，一家人一起出去放松一下。吃飯看電影到游樂場玩。為了為小女兒贏得那個ＥＴ的布偶，他們壓上了身上所有的錢。這些錢早就遠遠超過了布偶的價值，但他們不僅要讓小女兒不失望，更要借著這個非常心痛的勝利表達一種信念，一種無論多大困難都能挺過來的信心的象征。這也是無論遇到什么事，他們也都要在女兒們面前表現(xiàn)的樂觀的原因。在明擺著的困難面前，信心是最重要的。

難以忘記的過去
　　與一般尋夢的故事略有不同的是，這一家人還背負著巨大的精神創(chuàng)傷，這也是他們要尋找新生活的動機和原因。從散落在影片各處的線索，可以還原痛苦的原由。他們的小兒子弗蘭克，因意外從樓梯跌落而誘發(fā)了惡性的腦瘤，經過幾年的掙扎最后還是去世了。這是一個讓人無法接受的大不幸，給了這一家人巨大的打擊，甚至讓他們動搖了自己的信仰，一年多來都無法從中釋懷。于是，他們來到美國，打算一切從頭開始。
　　雖然面對全新的生活，但家庭那殘缺的部分始終揮之不去。過關時警察詢問，而后甚至夫妻倆難得空閑了做愛時，竟也想起了死去的兒子。一旦有人捅破了心照不喧的沉默，悲傷便又泛濫開了。痛苦就要發(fā)泄，發(fā)泄的方式之一就是反復在不幸的最初原因上，而無論是責怪自己還是責怪對方，都只會讓悲傷更加沉重。
　　妻子又懷孕了。而體檢的時候卻被告知，懷孕就意味著危險，到時候母子很難都保全。這是上天給他們的安慰，還是又一次的不幸呢？沖突又起。丈夫害怕悲劇又一次重演，那將是無法忍受的苦難。舊怨未除又添新患，絕境中這位父親竟在小女兒的眼里完全成了一個陌生的人。妻子選擇了堅持，于是給了這個家一次重新振作的機會。
　　這樣的一次“尋夢”之旅，有些特別，在剛開始的時候我們甚至可以就把它當作是一種逃避，借由那誰也無法預料的新生活來逃避過去。事情不會就這么簡單，沖突和困難反而有時加深了痛苦。但這也的確是一個方法一條途徑，來到一個新的環(huán)境，當面對困境面對壓力的時候，生活必須繼續(xù)，很多事情也必然發(fā)生，逃避不得反而獲得了解脫。

美國的符號美國的人
　　多次在電影中出現(xiàn)的ＥＴ，代表著美好的希望。在游樂場贏得的ＥＴ，讓他們樹立面對新生活的信心。而后來又在飛往月球的ＥＴ的幻想中，符上了對逝者的思念和告別，也真正完成了對過去的告別。
　　另一個是萬圣節(jié)。孩子們穿著自制的簡陋服裝參加學校的活動，一面遭到了所有人的鄙夷的眼光，一面又在活動最后獲得了安慰性的創(chuàng)意獎。這真是一個生活的縮影或者說寫照，是殘酷和難言的無奈。
　　萬圣節(jié)的另一個活動是“Trick or treat”，孩子們敲開了所在大樓里一個神秘人的門。那是個來自尼日利亞的畫家馬蒂奧，身患絕癥，整日閉門不出，給人的唯一印象是被病痛折磨時發(fā)出的巨吼。雖然討厭被人打擾，但同為移民的他還是友好的接待了她們。無論怎樣，移民和本土的人群總是存在著隔閡。而同為移民，雖然來自不同的國家不同的民族，但相同的景遇讓他們容易走近。馬蒂奧和約翰尼一家有了來往，雖然也有誤會，但久違的友誼和親切給他人生最后的一段時光帶來了溫暖。而他為他們付清了莎拉生產的巨額醫(yī)藥費，作為他的最后的禮物。
　　另有一個鄰居，常常向約翰尼要錢，而在約翰尼窮窘的時候他主動給出代用券以示幫助或著說友好，讓人感覺似乎有些溫暖。但好戲還在后頭，為了錢，后來他還是將刀子架到了約翰尼的脖子上。邊緣人，底層人物的心態(tài)和作為，殘酷又有些可憐，雖然不是全部，卻都是為了生存的掙扎。

克里絲蒂和她的三個愿望
　　10歲的大女兒克里絲蒂，有著和年齡不符的冷靜。當她說出“別叫我小女孩，從弗蘭克死后，我擔起這個家也已經一年多了”，真是讓人五味雜陳。
　　常常有導演會讓小孩在電影里去承擔相當重要和有特別意義的角色（還有如我們熟悉的楊德昌的《一一》里最后的那段獨白），雖然可能有悖于現(xiàn)實中孩子的形象，但于電影而言，在深化主題等方面往往更具力量。
　　在電影中克里絲蒂拿著ＤＶ，ＤＶ里面儲存著關于過去的記憶，同時又記錄著現(xiàn)在生活的點點滴滴。它扭結著過去、現(xiàn)在，靜待著未來?？死锝z蒂還是影片的敘述者，當她說出“別叫我小女孩”那段話的時，聽者也許會驚訝或不以為然，但在她自己看來，正是她幫助著這個家一步步走過來。
　　她是如何做的呢？每到緊要關頭，克里絲蒂就用向死去的弗蘭克的許愿，幫助這個家（家人）度過難關。
　　她的第一個愿望用在了過境要進入美國的時候，這是要開始新生活必須的第一步。第二個愿望是在游樂場投球的時候，這時為了不讓小女兒失望，一家人已把身上所有的錢都壓在了那最后一球上，這是面對新生活樹立信心的關鍵時刻。由于數(shù)量有限，愿望一定得用在最關鍵的時候，當母親生產時面臨生命危險的時候克里絲蒂都沒有舍得用，她的第三個愿望是讓父親對弗蘭克真正說再見，在生活的波折暫告一段落后，是完全卸下過去的包袱來面對未來的時候到了。
　　真的是愿望在起作用嗎？當然按理性分析來說顯然不是，但對小孩子而言，愿望便是她對生活的信念和向往的一種表達方式。在困頓的景況下，愿望便也成了一種有力的思想武器。另外，導演也通過這樣有些特別也很有意思的方式，標記了電影里的或者說影片主人公經歷的一些重要時刻，進一步點明和深化了主題。

　　這樣的電影，煽情的難免，結局的必然。而導演在處理的時候，較好將各種元素融合在電影中，沒有過分依賴某一種情緒。主題和細節(jié)、主體和個人也都抓的分明，這一次尋夢也是自救的過程，有始有終，讓人感悟。

"Desperado"，我喜歡的歌。劇中的大女兒唱了，

美得讓人側目。電影節(jié)時看的膠片，仍記憶猶新。

雖然陽光沒有眷顧這個移民之家，他們還是以自

己的方式閃避沉痛傷悲。畢竟一生四面八方，總

有著厄運埋藏，你我都一樣，只有抵抗……


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krqy0JP-qEM

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You've been out riding fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one. I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasing you can hurt you somehow

Don' you draw the queen of diamonds, boy? She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get

Desperado, oh, you ain't getting no youger
Your pain and your hunger, they're driving you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talking
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're loosing all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be raining, but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it's too late...

好久沒看電影了，也好久沒有給出5星了，沒想到，今天一給就是兩個。
很感動的片子，不是簡單的勵志片而已，很感動的大女兒勸爸爸的話：不是只有你有壓力，我也是，都一年多了！但是得要放下?。ù蟾诺囊馑及桑?br>面對壓力，除了直面之外，還要選擇必要的放下！
對Franki說再見！

看這部片子是在復讀那一年 生不如死
導演把發(fā)生在自己身上的真實經歷濃縮成了這部飽含深情的影片 片中那個小女孩讓我不止一次地想到了自己：傷的最深 也藏得最深 最終她教會了我沉浸在這種悲傷中毫無意義 我們必須向前走 讓明天的陽光覆蓋昨天心中的陰霾
這一年 我考上了北大
希望更多的人能看到這部電影 在影片結尾處 擦干臉上的淚 和自己心中的Frankie說再見

買來很久的碟片
在家里的DVD機器壞了之后，一直都沒有看
重新買來新機器
無聊中看了這部電影
懶得思考其中一些橋段的象征意義
只是簡單地跟隨著影片看下來
除了苦中作樂四個字
也就剩下順應天命了

很多人都在講
不用去做什么，有時候等待就是最好的選擇
可是能夠安心等待
并在等待中完成自己需要完成的事情的人
并不多
因為這是對心的挑戰(zhàn)

對于人生
我們都是外來者
要在生活中存活下來
需要考慮的事情很多
需要適應的事情更多

我很喜歡影片中美國紐約曼哈頓的風景
很適合這個秋季
是的
1980年代
對我來說
就是一種秋季的味道