In America (2002)

Sarah Bolger: Christy

Photos 

Quotes 

• Johnny : Are you okay little girl?

  Christy : Don't "little girl" me. I've been carrying this family on my back for over a year, ever since Frankie died. He was my brother too. It's not my fault that he's dead. It's not my fault that I'm still alive.

  Johnny : Ah, Christy.

  Christy : Mom was always crying because he was her son. But he was my brother too. I cried too... when no one was looking. I talked to him every night.

  Ariel : She did, Dad.

  Christy : I talked to him every night, until...

  Johnny : ...until when?

  Christy : Until I realized I was talking to myself.

• [last lines] 

  Christy : [voiceover]  It was as hard for Frankie to smile when the tumor was malignant as it was for my dad to cry after. But they both managed it. I'm going to switch this off now. It's not the way I want to see Frankie any more. Do you still have a picture of me in your head? Well, that's like the picture I want to have of Frankie. One that you can keep in your head forever. So when you go back to reality, I'll ask Frankie to please, please let me go.

• Christy : Bye Mateo! Look after Frankie!

  Johnny : Bye Mateo! Look after F...

  Christy : [Asks for third wish in her head then speaks]  Say goodbye to Frankie dad.

  Johnny : What?

  Christy : Say goodbye to Frankie.

  Johnny : [Whispers]  Goodbye Frankie.

  Christy : He can't hear you.

  Christy , Johnny : [slightly louder]  Goodbye Frankie.

  Johnny : [Normal Volume]  Goodbye Frankie.

• Mateo : You the kids from upstairs?

  Christy : Yeah.

  Mateo : Is this Halloween?

  Christy : Yeah.

  Mateo : Hm. Where you from?

  Christy : Ireland.

  Mateo : You came all the way to America to trick or treat?

• [first lines] 

  Christy : [voiceover]  There's some things you should wish for and some things you shouldn't. That's what my little brother Frankie told me. He told me I only had three wishes, and I looked into his eyes, and I don't know why I believed him.

• Christy : We heard Manhattan before we ever saw it, a thousand strange voices coming from everywhere. And you're not going to believe this, but we had to go under the water to get to the city. And we lost contact with everything; it was like we were on another planet.

• Christy : It's not "José, can you see", it's "Oh say, can you see".

• Ariel : Cool!

  Christy : Cool? Where'd you hear that?

  Ariel : I don't know, I just heard it.

  Christy : Ugh, you're already American, it's disgusting!

• [through her camcorder, we see Christy walk into Mateo's empty room - we see the view out the window, and then Christy turns to see Ariel sitting on the couch, grief in her eyes] 

  Ariel : [whispering sadly]  He never said goodbye...

  Christy : What?

  Ariel : [shakily]  He never said goodbye.

• Ariel : What are transvestites?

  Christy : A man who dresses up as a woman.

  Ariel : For Halloween?

  Christy : No, all the time. All the time.

  Ariel : Why?

  Christy : It's just what they do here, OK?

• Christy : What if I have it?

  Johnny : Have what?

  Christy : Mateo's disease.

  Johnny : That's not possible, Christy?

  Christy : How do you know that?

  Johnny : God won't let that happen to you.

  Christy : You don't believe in God.

• Mateo : This house is haunted, but it's not scary. It's a magic house.

  Ariel : Frankie believed in magic.

  Mateo : Who's that?

  Ariel : Frankie. Our brother. He died.

  Christy : He fell down some stairs when he was two. We thought he was okay... but there was something in his brain. A brain tumor. It was malignant.

  Ariel : [to Mateo]  Are you crying? Are you?

  Ariel : It's okay, he's in Heaven now.

• Christy : Are you awake, Ariel?

  Ariel : Yeah. Are you, Christy?

  Christy : Yeah.

• Christy : Listening to my mom and dad I was scared we weren't going to get across the border. And if I didn't talk to Frankie, how we're going to get into America? Please Frankie, please. Please help us I said.

• Johnny : Why would youse wanna be the same as everybody else?

  Ariel : 'Cause everybody else goes trick-or-treating.

  Sarah : What's that?

  Ariel : It's what they do here for Halloween.

  Johnny : What do you mean? Like, help the Halloween party?

  Christy : No. Not help the Halloween party. You don't ask for help in America. You demand it. Trick-or-treat- you don't ask, you threaten.

  Sarah : You can't do that on our street.

  Christy : Why not?

  Sarah : Because you can't threaten drug addicts and transvestites, that's why.