This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Blistering performances.

Widowed Kieran Johnson (James Caan) is a high school history teacher in Chicago. His sister struggles to take care of their mother Fiona Flynn with dementia and her teenage son Jack. Kieran takes Jack back to Ireland to search for their roots. In Kilronan, he discovers that his teenage mother Fiona fell in love with poor farm worker Kieran O'Dea (Aidan Quinn) who may be his biological father.The performances are lovely. James Caan starts it off with really nice character work. The flashbacks have Aidan Quinn doing solid work. He delivers a gruff charm. Moya Farrelly is a sweet newcomer. This is a fine Irish love tragedy with good performances anchoring it.

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 is the tragic Ireland of "The Field" and "Falling for a Dancer", and "The Wind That Shakes the Barley" and is not to be confused with John Ford's whimsical Ireland of "The Quiet Man". In this Ireland, no resentment, slight or grudge is ever forgotten by this or succeeding generations. People are held in esteem not for their achievements, but for their place in a hierarchy of which ownership of land is the peak. The church rules with a tyrannical iron fist, and any attempt to escape the established order is met with the threat of eternal damnation, for it is essential to keep the people in the place to which they were born.This review may contain spoilers ahead.The story focuses on Keiran was a "poorhouse bastard" and was regarded as the lowest form of life. He was taken in by a childless couple of tenant farmers to work their land in return for his keep. Sadly, there was no way he could ever improve his lot. Being illegitimate barred him from entering the church as a priest, and being poor and landless barred him from any education or advancement in any way, not to mention marriage prospects. I was not sure whether Keiran was a little "slow" or whether he was a result of a brutal poorhouse childhood and inadequate education. When Keiran had the misfortune to fall in love with the daughter of the widowed owner of the farm, this was considered an affront to their little hierarchy. Marriage was out of the question, at least to each other. Propriety demanded that the girl be married off as quickly as possible and a suitable widower or older bachelor would be found. A similar situation occurred in another Aidan Quinn film, The "Playboys" where the young woman outraged and scandalized the village for staying unmarried.There was not a flawed performance in this film and it was wonderful to see Irish actor Donal Donnelly again as Mr. Mahney, especially when he cursed the spiteful widow, and her all descendants who remained in Ireland, for the grief she had wrought. I found myself thinking "Now that's a curse!" through my soaked Kleenex.It used to be that women watched tearjerkers for a good cry, which made them feel better. The popular British singer, Gracie Fields, had a song which went: "Oh I never cried so much in all me life" yet you knew she had enjoyed her good weep. This film, which has all the tragedy of a modern day Romeo and Juliet, is that kind of experience. The tears will flow, but you want to watch it again for the release of having a good cry.I gave it a rating of 9 as I felt that the story line involving the nephew and the local girls was corny and could have been cut out completely. It did nothing for the narrative flow. Although it is used often in books, I don't care for the device where someone is exploring the past in flash back/flash forward while re-enacting the same events. It was used in "Heat and Dust". I find it tedious and wishing that they would get back to the main story.Overall, I would highly recommend this film.

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.