The director of the film In the Name of the Father is the Irish film producer Jim Sheridan. The action described in the film took place in Belfast during the time when Jim Sheridan was living in Canada but when he returned to Ireland, he noticed how the country he once lived in was still affected by the events which took place almost 20 years prior.
The film raised a lot of controversy as well as positive reactions. Jim Sheridan claimed his purpose was to focus on the fate of the father in the film, Giuseppe, who was incarcerated because he was the father of one of the people suspected of playing a part in the bombing. While the four people suspected of being the bombers were cleared, Giuseppe, who died while in custody, did not had his named cleared when the movie was released in 1993.
Through the film, the director wanted to prove the innocence of the dead father and to push for change. At the time when the film was released, the family of Giuseppe as well as many other people both from Ireland and from other countries were trying to get Giuseppe’s name cleared and his good reputation restored. Looking at the film through this lens, we can argue that Jim Sheridan was making a political statement, militating against the abuses done by the police against the general population.
The director of the film was criticized mostly for the ending scene which, according to many, is highly inaccurate and misleading. The director argued his decisions to film in such a way by claiming his purpose was to, once more, show the innocence of the father and the absurdities of the legal system.
