Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Directed by John Quested
Philadelphia, Here I Come!
Donal McCann
Set in playwright Brian Friel's (Dancing at Lughnasa, Faith Healer) mythical Ballybeg, Ireland, The American Film Theatre's Philadelphia, Here I Come! presents an ingenious glimpse into the stock-taking of young Gareth "Gar" O'Donnell on the eve of his emigration to America. Through the myriad preparations and good-byes that fill Gar's last day in Ireland, comes a powerful portrait of the public boasts and private doubts that bedevil him on the threshold of his journey to a new life in a new land.
Friel contrasts Gar's cloistered emotional life with his gregarious social persona by portraying him as two distinct characters, a public self (Donal McCann) and a private self (Des Cave). As public Gar energetically goes about his rounds, private Gar voices the anger, and sadness, "the loneliness, the groping," that has positioned him between a loveless youth and an unknown future. As the two sides of Gar spar over their shared past and we meet the people that have inclined him towards a two-faced life, the difference between emigration and exile begins to blur.
Gar's surrogate mother Madge (Siobhan McKenna, Doctor Zhivago), his speechless, affectionless father (Eamon Kelly), and most importantly Gar's ex-fiancée Kate (Fidelma Murphy) all provide inadvertent testimony to the fear and longing that have already separated Gar from his community, his family, his heart, and ultimately from himself. AFT's Philadelphia, Here I Come! is a soulful backward glance at a life as yet un-lived and a heart as yet un-loved on the threshold of escape to, "a vast restless place that doesn't give a damn about the past."
Proud to be part of the Mixed-Up Teens ➡️ Sophisticated Adults pipeline.' https://t.co/e8qKBgYgCy'
Shout out to all the Sophisticated Adults on here. We 💜 you.' https://t.co/e8qKBgYgCy'
RT' @garymkramer': It's #internationalswingersday! So here's my' @Salon' interview with the director of BLOOM UP: A SWINGER COUPLE STORY.' @Kino…'
RT' @RoxyCinemaNYC': “Explores the interior lives of Black women with loving acuity… and a whole lot of heart and humor.” - Maya Cade, Creato…
Now playing at' @quadcinema' and' @HotDocsCinema'!' https://t.co/1HcmrcfSqZ'
Born on this day in 1899, the great Alfred Hitchcock.' https://t.co/R2m1m3bMVm'
RT' @KLStudioClassic': Coming in November! 2020 HD Master by Paramount – 4K Scan of the Original 35mm Camera Negative Detective Story (1951)…
BLOOM UP "is neither for the prudish nor for those whose delicate ears may be turned off by orgasmic cries. I say t…' https://t.co/4vDQ72sG5i'
ALMA'S RAINBOW opens today at' @laemmle's'' @laemmlemonica' in Los Angeles. Don't miss a Q&A with star' @VictoriousPlatt…'' https://t.co/CBlq1eGYeg'
RT' @laemmlemonica': This Fri. don't miss ALMA'S RAINBOW and a special Q&A on Sat. 8/13 with lead actress Victoria Platt. " Tix & info at htt…
General Inquiries
333 W. 39th St., Ste. 503
New York, NY 10018
Tel. (800) 562-3330
Fax. (212) 714-0871
Press & Media
For publicity assistance and press inquiries please contact us by emailing dninh@kinolorber.com or calling 212-629-6880.
Educational
Please visit our educational site at www.KinoLorberEDU.com
For assistance with educational orders, please contact us at:
Phone:212-629-6880
Fax: 212-714-0871
Email: edu@kinolorber.com