Ash Wednesday is a 2002 dramatic film directed and written by Edward Burns. The film is set in Hell's Kitchen on Ash Wednesday in 1983. In the film, Francis Sullivan is an Irish-American Catholic who is a reformed criminal. He lives alone in an apartment above a bar in the neighborhood he grew up in with his brother. Three years ago, Francis' beloved brother, Sean (Elijah Wood), had a deadly confrontation with the Irish mob and disappeared afterwards. Francis knows why Sean confronted the mob and he feels extremely guilty over his disappearance. Sean's wife, Grace (Rosario Dawson), presumes her husband is dead and has moved on with her life. When people from the neighborhood start saying they have seen Sean around and very much alive, Francis is worried. If Sean is not dead then a lot of people are in immediate danger, including himself, a Catholic priest, Grace and her son.moreless