This Is My Father (1999)

One of my all time favorites.

It is a performances centric movie

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

I didn't think that "This Is My Father" was a masterpiece, but still worth seeing. James Caan plays Kieran, a history teacher who decides to go to his mother's native Ireland to find out why she left, and specifically, who his father was.A particularly effective scene is when Kieran's nephew Jack meets some Irish girls. They get to talking about Northern Ireland and the girls have to explain to the boy the reason for what's going on there. In other words, Jack is learning as much about modern Ireland as Kieran is about what the island was like in the '30s*. I found that to be the best scene in the movie.Anyway, worth seeing.*Due to Éire's economic collapse amid the worldwide financial crisis, it's back to where it was in the '30s economically.

This story about a doomed romance begins when the professor Kieran(a serious James Caan) discovers photos from his mother's youth .He decides investigate his Irish roots but he wishes to know the authentic identity about his father . He travels along with his niece(a sympathetic Jacob Tierney)toward Irland where he believes his father resides. Meanwhile, the events are told in flashback with the romantic story of Kieran(a sensible acting by Aidan Quinn), a poor waif adopted by a good couple farmer and beautiful teenaged Fiona(Farrelly with similar countenance to Patricia Arquette).This dramatic film displays love and passion, but also hatred and tragedy. It portrays Irish customs, despotic priests, the class differences in rural Ireland in the 30s and the tragedies it originates . Casting is frankly excellent. Aidan Quinn is magnificent as affecting farmer tenant, Farrelly as wealthy young girl is gorgeous and James Caan as middle age teacher is nice . The secondary cast, Stephen Rea as authoritative priest, John Cusack as a ¨Life¨ review photographer-pilot and Bernard Gleeson as agreeable guard-man are very fine. This is a familiar film where all Quinn family have intervened . Evocative cinematography by Declan Quinn and Irish music score with folk sounds . Writing based on a story Theresa Quinn told her children. The motion picture is well directed by Paul Quinn. Rating : Good and better than average. The film will like to romantic drama buffs.

Unfortunately many Irish American movies about Ireland are tarnished by an overly sentimental and romantic view of Ireland. While the core of this fantastic little movie is a romance the Quinn brothers have taken a realistic and fresh look at some of the darker sides of small town Ireland in the 1930s - a side that to some degree still exists. The movie sets up perfectly the class hierarchies and prejudices that leap into action when two young people from very different class backgrounds begin to fall in love. The casting in this movie is particularly good and the smaller parts are taken by some very fine actors. Stephen Rea is magnificent as Father Quinn the visiting priest who conducts an inquisition into the sex lives of the villagers while Maria McDermottroe and Donal Donnelly are wonderful as the adoptive parents of one of the lovers. However the real gem is the performances by Aidan Quinn and Moya Farrelly who play the two young lovers at the centre of this movie. Quinn captures perfectly the closed in, nervous stance of a shy young Irish farmer while Farrelly is fresh and exuberant. There is fantastic chemistry between them and their scenes together are both touching and contain a fresh honesty about first love and love-making that is rarely captured on film.

The catholic Church oppression, mainly on moral and sexual life, is similar to the one lived in French Canada and Quebec province during the same period, but with a little more comprehension and less social tensions due to status. Happily, this oppression ceased with the occurrence of the drastic social changes brought by the 60's, called the "Quiet revolution" Very touching movie and good description of the evils brought by bigotry. That's why I was so touched by this story. The actress playing Fiona, without being a beauty, is very attractive, and so full of life. By the way the old Fiona is played by an actress who had a good career in French Canada.