Although beautifully filmed in Kildare, Ireland, this mini-epic of two families intertwined history does not fulfill its promise. James Caan tries diligently to portray the American son of an Irish farmer he never knew existed and a mother who has blocked the love-of-her-life from her children. The three brothers Quinn produced this film, and gave the tragic, starring role to Aiden. He is the heart and soul of the saga, with John Cusack adding a small, comedic, interlude. Moya Farrelly is all heart and sadness as the lost love who grows into old age with her secrets.There is a lot going on in this story, interweaving various themes that can easily be missed. Interesting flashbacks of the young Aiden Quinn's father character, juxtaposed with the present-day,aging Caan son"s character, makes for a strange plot device.Overall, this is a worthy film, but leaves many questions unanswered.

I stumbled upon this movie last night on the tele and I was quite taken with it, for a while. The plot (s) are all fine, but it just felt like the writer was trying to stuff a whole lot of stuff into a pretty small bag.The main story- that of Ciaran and Fiona- is wonderful, fresh, and fun. Quinn and the girl are lovely together, and their scenes, particularly learning to dance and making love for the first time are infused with a reality and life that is rarely seen in film.There are a few mis-steps, I didn't really enjoy the 'modern' part of the film, it felt tacked on and not needed, like they didn't trust that their main story would be interesting enough to hold my attention. And John Cusack appears out of nowhere and all sense of reality flies out of the film for those five minutes, he's John Cusack in a plane!But for the most part it's a lovely story well acted.

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!

While the movie was OK, I was terribly upset by the accurate portrayal of how the church affects people, not only in Ireland where the film takes place, but all over the world. People seem to give credit to God when good things happen, but after a tragedy they say "The Lord works in mysterious ways." It sickens me to see the hold that the church (ALL churches) has over the peoples of the world .. and films like this bring it to the fore. I read that someone in the Quinn family tells this as a true story. It made me wonder who this "Quinn" was, and how she was related to Aiden and his brothers. I do recommend the movie .. it was very moving and sad.