In the Name of the Father

Jim Sheridan’s In the Name of the Father is a film about seeking justice and standing by family. It tells the true (quite amazing) story of Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis), a young man who is falsely accused of participating in an IRA bombing.  When he is wrongly imprisoned for the bombing along with his father, he spends 14 years in prison. British lawyer Gareth Peirce (Emma Thompson) works against the system to clear his name, along with others (see clip above) that the government put in prison. Together, Gerry and Gareth inspire us never to give up and never to give in. They teach us that some things are worth fighting for.

Also, there is nothing quite like hearing Daniel Day-Lewis give an impassioned speech, especially when it is the speech below:

I’m an innocent man. I spent 15 years in prison for something I didn’t do. I watched my father die in a British prison for something he didn’t do. And this government still says he’s guilty. I want to tell them that until my father is proved innocent, until all the people involved in this case are proved innocent, until the guilty ones are brought to justice, I will fight on. In the name of my father and of the truth!

Watch this film to see how it pushed the envelope and then takepart with the ACLU to learn about the rights of prisoners.

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