ANGELA'S ASHES is the true story of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt (played at various ages by Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens, and Michael Legge), whose personal memoir became a worldwide phenomenon. When eldest son Frank's baby sister dies and father Malachy (Robert Carlyle) can find no work, the McCourt family is forced to leave America and return to their native Ireland, where conditions are even more destitute than in Brooklyn. Malachy's northern accent is frowned upon in Limerick, keeping him on welfare and the family living in poverty. Things turn even more sour when two more children die and Malachy leaves the family to go to work (or, better yet, drink) in England. He never returns. Frank struggles through the poverty and his new role as man of the house, but throughout the seeming hopelessness his dream of traveling to America keeps him determined and optimistic.

The three little-known actors playing Frank are impressive, and Emily Watson gives a quiet, impassioned performance as Frank's mother, Angela. Michael Seresin's photography underscores the deft direction of Alan Parker (COME SEE THE PARADISE), infusing the story with beauty even at its most desperate moments.