In the name of the father

In the Name of the father

Director: Jim Sheridan

Gerry a small time thief from Belfast arrives in London to make his fortune. But he gets pulled up by the London police who believe that he is a part of the IRA that was responsible for bombing a pub that left 5 people dead. He is innocent but the police frame the evidence against him. They round up his friends and family. Six of them are framed for the crime that they didn’t commit and are imprisoned.

This movie emphasizes on the stereotypes that exist in our minds about some cultures and people. Because he was Irish and came from an impoverished land and because IRA was indulging in activities that irked the British, they were more than glad to frame an Irish man for the crime without delving into the fact. It also emphasises the effect of hegemony. The suppressed have no voice and they are totally helpless. After a while we see that the lack of empathy ont he part of the police when they find out who the real bomber was. They don’t bother to rectify their mistake or admit it. They prefer to let 6 innocent people spend their lives in prison for a crime that they have not committed.

The movie brings together the father (Guieseppe) and son together in a prison cell. Gerry has never connected with his father and he feels that throughout his life that his father never appreciated anything that he did. He feels neglected and deprived of affection. With time they slowly understand each other and learn to accept each other. Gerry sees that his father is a compassionate and an optimistic man. Guieseppe begins to understand his son and the bond between them strengthens. They lose all hope of making it out of the jail and feel condemned to their cruel destiny until a social worker takes up their cause and fights for their justice. It also tells us how injustice can take away innocent lives. Every time we look at a criminal we associate negative connotations with him, without hearing the facts – another case of stereotype.

The behaviour of the crowd in the courtroom is interesting as well. In the beginning without even knowing the truth they scream that the 6 of them should be hanged, but then when the social worker finds out that they are innocent they scream slogans against the government and the police.

It tells us about the civilian conditions that persisted in Ireland and their rebellion against the more powerful and well equipped British, about innocent people who lost their lives in this struggle and makes their voices heard through the protagonists. In this case Gerry was finally freed but there were thousands of Gerrys’ and Guieseppes’ who lost the battle of life for crimes that they haven’t committed.