THIS IS MY FATHER

US, 1998, 115 minutes, Colour.
Aidan Quinn, James Caan, Jacob Tierney, Colum Meany, Moya Farrelly, Maria Mc Dermottroe, Donal Donnelly, Eamon Morrisey, Stephen Rea, John Cusack, Brendan Gleeson, Pat Shortt.
Directed by Paul Quinn.

This is My Father is a little seen drama which is well worth seeing. and written and directed by Paul Quinn, which features his brother as the central character, Aidan Quinn.

The film opens in the 1990s featuring James Caan as a world-weary teacher in a high school, pessimistic about the prospect of his students, burdened at home by his mother who has had a stroke and does not communicate. There is also his sister and her teenage son.

In discovering something about his mother and his father, whom he does not know or know about, he decides that he and the nephew will travel to Ireland, meeting a gypsy woman who knows the story, and her garrulous son, Colm Meany. This provides the commission for flashbacks to the 1930s, to the character of Kieran who is in love with the 17-year-old Fiona, has been adopted from an orphanage, is a serious young man working on the farm, influenced by the local priest and a visiting priest and going to confession about his love for Fiona and being urged to give her up.

The story from the 1930 gradually unfold towards a tragic ending, influence of a very harsh church (with a significant sermon by the parish priest against dances as well as a harsh sermon and confession experience from a visiting priest, Stephen Rea). John Cusack has an entertaining cameo role as a pilot, taking photos for an American magazine.

The film has the feel for Ireland both in the 1990s but especially in the 1930s.

1. A memoir? A 20th-century story? The 1990s back to the 1930s? From the US to Ireland?

2. The 1990s, the city of Chicago, Apartments, school and classrooms? The musical score?

3. Ireland in the 1990s, the village, the bed-and-breakfast, the streets, the schoolgirls, the cemetery? The tone of the musical score?

4. Ireland, the 1930s, the village, the farm and work with peat, homes, the church, the dance hall, the funeral? The contemporary score?

5. Kieran, working, his age, his mother and the stroke, living with his sister, with Jack? Going to class, the biographies, his not listening, the reaction of the students, his critique of their prospects and forecast of their poor lives? The end and his return to the classroom and showing them the photo?

6. His books, finding the dedication, photo, trying to communicate with his mother, nothing? His sister, her exasperation, arguing with Jack?

7. The decision to go to Ireland, his taking Jack? In the car, arrival, Mrs Kearny and her son, the chatter, telling the story in instalments, the framework for the flashbacks? The sad story and sad ending? Jack, on his bike, the encounter with the schoolgirls, phoning his mother and grandmother, the two girls being cheeky, the farewell and the final kiss?

8. The 1930s, Kieran and his story, the orphanage, adoption, growing up on the farm, his parents, the hard life, love, providing home? His work, digging the peat? The friendship with Fiona? The meetings? His shyness, awkwardness? The dance, the twins, picking the fight, his fighting, taking Fiona home, learning the dance? Listening to Father Morrisey’s sermon? The camera on him and the references? The mission priest and his inappropriate probing about sexuality?

9. Fiona’s mother, the twins and their mother and her curse, Fiona’s mother and her fears, every illness and upset a result of the curse? Fiona and her talking to the Gypsy – and the decision to use the curse for leverage?

10. The denunciations of Kieran, the two young police coming to him, sent by the mother, later coming to say there was no worry?

11. Kieran’s parents, his mother deciding that he would have to leave, so that they would not be ousted from the farm? The father and his later grief and denunciation about his son? The mother’s grief?

12. Fiona, writing the letter, it never reaching Kieran, her putting it in his coat pocket as he lay in state?

13. The American, the plane, taking photos, the enthusiasm, on the beach, American football, fixing the car, later sending the photo?

14. Kieran and the visiting mission priest, fire and brimstone, hell? Kieran going to confession, the interrogation, explicit about masturbation, imagination, about Fiona, his love, her age? The happy scenes with Fiona? The car, the breakdown, going to the beach, the plane, playing football with the pilot? His fixing the car? Later sending the photo? The result of the confession, his wanting to break from Fiona, finding it hard, her arguments?

15. Fiona, age 17, her father and his strong reputation, her mother, harsh, drinking, looking at her daughter during the sermon?

16. Fiona, in love, her being hurt, persuading Kieran, spending the night, the alarm from her mother? Her pregnancy? Her mother’s reaction? The mother denouncing Kieran and his poverty?

17. The role of the parish priest in Irish society, in the 1930s? Authoritarian, puritanical? The warnings, the criticism of the young people, the dance, the fight, of the police being inactive? The pilgrimage to CroaghPatrick? for penance? The mission priest, preaching in the church, the severity? The confession, the effect on Kieran, the issue of the photos, the message on the back, Kieran being blamed? His hanging himself?

18. The discovery, the priest and his comments about the body to lie in the barn, not in the religious part of the cemetery? The grief of his parents? Fiona’s mother asking God’s forgiveness?

19. Fiona, going to the US, confiding in the Gypsy as she left – and Mrs Kearny then able to tell the story to Kieran’s son in the 1990s?