"Ordinary girls sitting in a car," I thought when I saw the trailer of In America. I wasn't impressed, but that's because I'm shallow. There's not much to awe you in the looks of the girls, but plenty, way plenty if you look deeper. (Alex wishes to remark they are gorgeous. I stand corrected. And, as a warning about bias, I'm smitten by them too.)

The girls in question are Emma and Sarah Bolger, six and eleven years old respectively, and siblings also out of character. As far as I'm concerned, theirs are the lead roles of the movie. I'm at loss of words describing their acting, upon which much of the movie rests. Not that the other aspects are weak, quite in the contrary. Only the acting of Bolgers is some of the best ever that I can think of.

The story is about an Irish family moving, illegally, into US, in an attempt to escape poverty and perhaps to get over the loss of their third child. Having little in way of money, they settle into a building populated largely by drug addicts and other troubled people. The father Johnny, an actor, tries to find work, but his mourning of the recent loss is keeping him unable to act, as well as unable to express his love for his other children. The daughters are Ariel (Emma) and Christy (Sarah), girls full of genuine compassion.

In the building lives another man trying to cope with a tragedy, one not in his past but near future. He is Mateo (Djimon Hounsou), "the screaming man"; huge, imposing, intensely feeling artist, a gentle soul. The girls get inside his shields, become friends, and bring him home, causing their father feel threatened yet inspired by Mateo's relationship with the girls. The movie starts toward its solution as the mother gets again pregnant, but is told by a doctor she could die giving birth.

There is gentle humor in the movie, and a great deal of warmth. There is drama about the small and large events of the life of the family, none of that told with pathos but in an appealing almost fantasy like manner, always holding your attention. That is not to say there are no intense moments. A scene where Johnny very nearly blows all of their savings in a ball throwing is immensely tense. The strength lies in every moment of the picture, not so much in a grand plot or surprise of it.

The Bolgers are remarkably natural around each other, the real life siblinghood probably showing through. Emma, a first grader, might be a great actress, creating a character that is likeable as well as immensely real. Or she might just be acting herself. The DVD has a small amount of extra material, and in an interview Emma comes across much as does her character Ariel in the movie.

Sarah, the older of the two, plays Christy, a child much different from her immediate, outgoing sister. Christy's role was originally intended for an older girl, one who could better handle the role of a strong girl. In a manner, Christy is the one who holds the family together, hides her pain from her father, shields and takes care of her sister. It turned out Sarah's handling of the role left no room whatsoever for improvement.

As of this writing it appears Sarah has kept acting, a fact that greatly pleases me. Much too many fantastic child actors are never heard of again after putting out one amazing role. Granted, Sarah was at the cusp of puberty in her role of Christy, and there is no way of telling what happens to a child during the quickly passing teen years. From what little I've seen, however, I dare predict her strong soul will always show through in her roles. I for my part will certainly check out her upcoming movies.

I appreciate good soundtracks. They add a great deal to a movie. In America is however one of the few movies whose soundtrack I actually paid for. Like that of the movie, the charm of the superb soundtrack never seems to lessen. And speaking of audio, neither does that of the beautifully accented voices of the Bolgers. Sarah narrates a lot, and is an absolute delight listen to.

So the girls are great, but why did I give this movie so high scores? The movie does have a fault or two. The parents, their acting as well as their relationship remains uninvolving, but that's about the extent of its faults. In America is a beautiful, touching movie, one that makes you cry and smile. This web site is about young actresses; failing to mention and highly recommend In America, then, couldn't possibly happen.