THIS IS MY FATHER
"This is My Father" is a labor of love from three Irish American brothers whose roots stretch from the shores of America to the Emerald Isle. The Quinns - actor Aidan - writer/director Paul - and cinematographer Declan("Leaving Las Vegas") have banded together to create a movie that unfolds with all the mystery and wonder of an ageless folktale.
A faded photograph of a happy couple in the flush of youth is found hidden among the personal effects of an ailing woman by her middle aged son, Kieran Johnson (James Caan). He recognizes his mother, Fiona, but not her companion. The picture is the only clue to a secret past that Fiona has kept locked away in her memory. Kieran, a high school teacher, decides to use a school break to visit his mother’s ancestral home with his nephew in search of his roots and the identity of the man in the picture. It is a given that the man will turn out to be the father he never knew. He has his first name - Kieran, but not his last - O’Dea.
Once in Ireland, the story of Fiona Flynn’s undying love for Kieran O’Dea (Aidan Quinn) is told in flashback. Suddenly, "This Is My Father" springs to life with a cast of fully realized characters with young Fiona (Moya Farrelly) leading the pack. She is all arrogance and daring. Aidan Quinn, in one of his best roles to date, brings poise and dignity to O’Dea’s unfettered simple life. Rescued from a shelter as a kid, Kieran is forever beholden to the childless farm couple who raised him. He owes them everything from the food on the table to the clothes on his back. He would never do anything to bring shame upon their home. Fiona finds him refreshing compared to her hypocritical neighbors. She is wise to the ways of the world and throws caution to the wind, but Kieran has led a sheltered life. His actions are dictated by his religious convictions. Their interest in each other seems incongruous, but their sincerity, honesty, and mutual respect draw them closer together. Soon there are secret meeting places, coded messages, and hidden love letters. But Fiona is underage - seventeen. People talk. Clerics listen.
"This Is My Father" is sprinkled with the kinds of minute, seemingly inconsequential, details that add period flavor to the movie and expand the dramatic dimensions of its story. A gypsy’s curse, uttered in jest for the amusement of Fiona, comes back to haunt her mother, the Widow Flynn(Gina Moxley), when she puts her pride above her daughter’s happiness. Father Quinn(Stephen Rea), a fiery orator, threatens a congregation of brawlers, blasphemers, and fornicators with eternal damnation in a comical scene that will dramatically impact Fiona’s future. Finally, the events leading to the discovery of a long lost declaration of love give "This Is My Father" a mystical quality. Kieran O’Dea’s last words find their way to Fiona’s bedside in America after a lifetime in one of the movie’s most moving passages.
There is also one wonderful extended scene on the Irish Coast that eerily foreshadows the fate of Young Fiona and Kieran while at the height of their joy. They take a day trip. The car breaks down. An airplane lands on the nearby beach. An American pilot (John Cusack) jumps out. He will gladly fix their car if they will only play football with him! This leisurely diversion could be his last carefree moment. The pilot also happens to be a photographer on a reconnaissance mission for the military. War in Europe, he says, is imminent. Likewise, this could be Fiona’s and Kieran’s last moment of happiness, caught in the camera’s eye, before the combined forces of old world superstition and Catholic repression rise up against them and test their love.
Kieran Johnson finds his roots, uncovers his father’s history, and embraces the spirit of a young girl’s courage that defied the conventions of her day and made her flee to America where she gave him life. The revelations are inevitable, yet still deliver a dramatic punch that is inescapable. In the final analysis "This Is My Father" transcends its love story and explores the shifting cultural forces that continue to influence people’s lives from generation to generation.
The only drawback to the movie is Susan Algren’s overwrought performance as Fiona’s daughter. She woefully complains about her son and the burden of caring for her mother. Luckily, her big scene at the beginning of the movie ends quickly. It is easily forgotten once "This Is My Father" plants itself firmly in the past and focuses on the passionate lives of Fiona Flynn and Kieran O’Dea.
"This Is My Father" earns three Irish Cheers - one for each Quinn. Aidan and his fellow actors for bringing the movie to life - Declan for visualizing a way of life that has as much to say about the people as the words they speak - and Paul for creating those words and letting simplicity and the strength of his characters guide his creative vision. Bravo!
Some other timeless Irish films to consider:
"The Quiet Man" (1952) Dir. John Ford - The quintessential Irish director’s classic about an American boxer who returns to his birthplace in Ireland and falls for a tempestuous local colleen. With John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, and Victor McLaglen. A key scene between Wayne and O’Hara is in "E.T."
"Michael Collins" (1996) Writer/Dir. Neil Jordan - Liam Neeson plays the Irish Rebel who signed the treaty that divided Ireland in the North and South. The urban guerrilla scenes are the best of their kind. With Aidan Quinn as his best friend and Julia Roberts as the love interest.
"Playboy of the Western World" (1962) - The Abbey Irish Players bring the poetry of John Millington Singhe’s play to the screen. A son wins the awe of a village, the affections of a widow, and the heart of a maiden when he boasts of killing his boisterous father. Complications arise when dad shows up - very much alive. A rarely seen film that occasionally shows up TV.
Some classic films from Irish Writer/Director Jim Sheridan
"The Boxer" (1997) Dir. Jim Sheridan - Daniel Day Lewis is a pro boxer who comes home after spending time in prison for crimes committed on behalf of the I.R.A. Emily Watson is the woman who didn’t wait for him but still wants him. A good one.
"Some Mother’s Son" (1996) - Jim co-wrote this fact based story with director Terry George. about the hunger strike in an English prison started by I.R.A. leader, Bobby Sands, that became a political tinderbox when the political prisoners began dying off. Helen Mirren is the mother who wants the English to release her son who is part of the strike.
"In The Name of the Father" - Jim directed and co wrote the script with Terry George. The true-life political thriller about a group father and son (Daniel Day Lewis and Peter Postlethwaite) who are wrongfully accused with some friends of a terrorist bombing in London. Emma Thompson is the lawyer who believes in their innocence. Based on the book Proved Innocent by the man who lived to tell his tale, Gerry Conlon. A great one-of-a-kind film with some fascinating historical footnotes.
"My Left Foot" (1989) - Jim directed and co-wrote this story of Irish writer/painter Christy Brown who succeeded in his artistic pursuits, despite being crippled with cerebral palsy from birth. The movie that made Daniel Day Lewis an international star. One of the most inspiring movies of all time!