This Is My Father

This Is My Father is a 1998 Canadian-Irish film directed by Paul Quinn.

This Is My Father
Directed by	Paul Quinn
Screenplay by	Paul Quinn
Produced by	Nicolas Clermont Philip King
Starring	Aidan Quinn James Caan Stephen Rea John Cusack Jacob Tierney Colm Meaney Donal Donnelly Moya Farrelly
Cinematography	Declan Quinn
Edited by	Glenn Berman
Music by	Donal Lunny
Production companies	Filmline International Hummingbrid Communications
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics (US)
Release dates	June 14, 1998 (1998-06-14) (Seattle International Film Festival) May 7, 1999 (1999-05-07) (United States)
Running time	119 minutes
Countries	Canada Ireland
Language	English
Box office	$1,078,737[1]

Plot

The film portrays a tragic love story set in late 1930s Ireland, focusing on the relationship between Fiona Flynn (Moya Farrelly), a beautiful, feisty seventeen-year-old from a middle-class family, and Kieran O'Dea (Aidan Quinn), a shy labourer in his early thirties, and the search decades later by their son, Kieran Johnson, (James Caan) to find his roots in late 1990s Ireland.

The film is told as an interweaving of the nineties setting, where Kieran is hearing the story of his parents, and the events of the 1930s. Kieran Johnson grew into adulthood unaware of his parents' story or of the tragic events that caused his mother to leave Ireland on her own while pregnant.

The story highlights the issues of prejudice, classism, alcoholism and social and religious conservatism in rural 1930s Ireland.

Cast

Main cast

• Aidan Quinn as Kieran O'Dea
• James Caan as Kieran Johnson
• Moya Farrelly as Fiona Flynn
• Jacob Tierney as Jack
• Gina Moxley as Widow Flynn

Supporting Cast

• Colm Meaney as Seamus (Bed and Breakfast Owner)
• Moira Deady as Mrs. Kearney
• John Cusack as Eddie Sharp (Pilot)
• Brendan Gleeson as Garda Jim
• Pat Shortt as Garda Ben
• Maria McDermottroe as Mrs. Maney
• Donal Donnelly as John Maney
• Eamon Morrissey as Father Mooney
• Stephen Rea as Mission Priest
• John Kavanagh as Liam Finneran
• Karen Ardiff as Young Mrs. Kearney
• Sheila Flitton as Mrs. Madigan
• Pauline Hutton as Maria
• Fiona Glascott as Nuala

Reception

Roger Ebert given the film 3 out of 4 stars and compared it to his own visit to Ireland in 1967.^[2]