This Is My Father

Oh my God, I'm on a roll with these obscure movies I never heard of. Somebody please tell me how these movies had little if any press yet are so good.

This gem takes place in both the modern day and back in Ireland in the late 1930's. It is a story of where one man came from. Who his father was and how he was connected to his mother.

Gorgeous cinematography and solid acting make this a must see! Once again, it caters to my love of movies about people with flavor, zest, zeal and the bittersweet truths of life.

Give it a watch, you'll be glad you did.

Paul Quinn, the director of "This is my father", shows a tremendous talent for bringing this fine layered story to the screen. Working on his own screen play, he was obviously the right person to be at the helm of this fine film. It appears that he got a lot of help, not only of his own brothers, but from a lot of well meaning people in this production.

If you haven't watched the film, maybe you should stop reading.

The film focuses on Kieran Johnson, the Chicago schoolteacher, ones encounters at the beginning of the movie with his students. His sick mother, Fiona, is being taken care at home by a daughter, and Kieran helps in his own, limited way. Watching his mother in her sick bed motivates him to go to Ireland in a voyage to discover a part of his life which he never knew.

Upon arrival, accompanied by his nephew, they go to the rural area where his mother rears from. They get to stay at a modest bed and breakfast run by a greedy man. Seamus' old mother holds the key to the mystery surrounding how he came to be born and to know the truth about what happened to his mother. In the process we are taken in flashbacks to another era.

Kieran O'Day, is a young man working in a small farm with the Meaneys. Beautiful Fiona is a local girl living with a widowed mother. It's obvious from the start these two like one another in more ways than meet the eye. The local town is dominated by the ruthless priests that see smut and lewdness in every one in the small town. In fact, most of what derails the lives of all of the people in the story seems to have been caused by the narrow mindedness of the clergy that held such a grip in the Irish society of the time.

Kieran and Fiona eventually realize the love they feel for one another, but fate will come between them in unexpected ways. The film ends in tragedy, as Kieran Johnson gets to know that O'Day was his father and what became of him.

In a lovely sequence, we watch as young Kieran and Fiona make a detour to a nearby beach because the car they've been traveling breaks down. While walking in the beach, they witness as a single engine plane come for a landing near them. They meet the American pilot, Eddie Sharp, a National Geographic photographer, who is taking pictures of Ireland. It's a lovely moment where the would-be-lovers interplay with the stranger and all seem to be at peace. Eddie is responsible for taking the only picture where Kieran and Fiona are seen together. That is the only clue left for their son to go on his search for their past.

The amazing, largely Irish, cast do an outstanding job in recreating the people in the story. Moya Farrelly, the lovely young Fiona, is one of the best things in the film. Aidan Quinn, as Kieran, delivers a good performance in his portrayal of this lonely man of the country who finds love that proves to be fatal. James Caan, as Kieran Johnson, has some good moments, but of course, he is only seen in a few key scenes. John Cusack's contribution as the friendly aviator is one of the highlights of the movie.

The supporting cast makes the film what it is. Colm Meany, Donald Donnelly, Gina Moxley, Brendan Gleeson, Stephen Rea, Moira Deady, among others, are the main reason for watching the movie. Most of them have had better opportunities in other movies, but as an ensemble they respond to Mr. Quinn's direction.

Congratulations to Paul Quinn. We wish him well in whatever project he decides to direct!

This Is My Father is a very honest film that touches the heart. The acting is flawless and the side-kick of a modern day love story compares different times in a nice way. James Caan plays this middle aged teacher that never had sought his origin in Ireland, but in doing so he discovers a new understanding to his mother's apparent depression after a stroke. Beneath there I sense a message to the ways of the Catholic Church and authority figures which unfortunately still applies today, in a way. This movie is a gem that deserves attention. - 8/10.

There aren't many films these days that bring a tear to the eye for legitimate emotional reasons. "This is my Father",happily, is one of them that should! Beautifully acted, imaginatively directed, this movie will undoubtedly have a short run. It doesn't meet today's standards of gore, brutality or computer generated non-realities. But if you want to see a movie that will tug at your heart and sensitivities,hurry down and see this heartbreaking ,yet heartwarming, story of requited ,yet unfulfilled, love.My test for a movie is very simple and timeworn. If I am sorry to see the credits roll, I know I've seen a fine movie.Man,was I sad to see those credits roll on bye.

Although this tragic valentine is mostly the labour of love of the Brothers Quinn (Aidan, Declan, and Paul), James Caan excels even more with what should have been a thankless role. As the teacher and uncle spurred on a search for his roots after discovering an old picture of his mother with an unknown man, Caan lends subtle dimensionality and nuances that ring true on every chord. The Irish countryside is lovingly filmed. But Paul Quinn never really decided whether this was a slice-of-life or an epic. He had many stories he wanted to tell, and ran out of time to conclude most of them while wasting far too much screen time reinforcing what we already knew about Fiona's stereotypical propertied widow mother and the kindly farmer with the somewhat shrewish wife who adopted Aidan Quinn's character, Kieron. The actor playing Father Morton also failed to supply new insights after his initial appearance. Stephen Rea is brilliant in a cameo as a fire-and-brimstone visiting priest. John Cusack adds a brief touch of magic, but adds nothing to the narrative. Moya Farrelly scores big in her cinematic debut as Quinn's love interest. Their chemistry is electric. All the townspeople are believably played and the music is marvelous. But it is annoying that the curses are colorfully bestowed and given interesting beginnings, but we never are let in on the final fate of the widow. More annoying still is being introduced to the nephew's turbulent yet loving familial relationships, watch a parallel develop, and then dropped. What effect does all this have on Kieren's sister, the boy's mother, who is equally entrenched emotionally in the search, but disappears without payoff?

Overall, this is well worth seeing. It might have been better with more experienced editing and directing, and perhaps, a crisper script. Yet, flaws and all, it remains enjoyable on its own terms.