In the independent drama "In America" (2003), directed by Jim Sheridan, Morton played the matriarch of an immigrant Irish family struggling to start a new life in New York. "In America" met widespread critical acclaim, with Terry Lawson of "Detroit Free Press" calling the film "an achingly intimate and beautifully observed account of the immigrant experience". Roger Ebert felt that Morton "reveals the power of her silences, her quiet her presence", while A.O. Scott, of "The New York Times", found the "blunt, inarticulate force of her feeling [... at the center of the drama". Her performance earned her nominations for the Academy Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award in the category of Best Actress.