Brooklyn is a film I'm sure not many have heard of. I, myself, hadn't even seen a trailer or an announcement for the film. I heard the critical watercooler buzz surrounding it, I saw Saoirse Ronan's Golden Globe nomination and it got me curious. When I saw that it was written by one of my favorite authors, Nick Hornby (High Fidelity, About A Boy), that's when I knew I had to watch it. And it's an adorable little tale. There's nothing showy or flashy about the film. There's no huge Hollywood hook to it. There's no mystery to any of the characters. It's just a charming little film that honestly makes you feel like you're reading a quaint little book by the fire whilst watching it.
Based off the book of the same name, Brooklyn tells the tale of an Irish girl, Eilis, in the early 1950s and her desire to find herself in America. After her sister uses a connection to get Eilis into a boarding house in Brooklyn, New York, Eilis sets sale for the good ol' U.S. of A. After a rocky sail, she arrives. Teary eyed, homesick, and overwhelmed, Eilis sets up in the boarding house, finds a job, and connects with the priest that arranged for her travel. She's quiet at first, unable to cope with the grief of leaving her entire life behind. It's when she meets a charismatic Italian boy named Tony is when she begins to come out of her shell. She starts to understand that she can still enjoy life and live it to the fullest because there are people that care about her in America as much the people back home did. Eilis and Tony begin a quick romance until a tragedy in the family leads Eilis back to Ireland. Once back home, her mother and fellow townsfolk do everything in their power to convince Eilis to stay. She meets Jim (Domnhall Gleeson) and the two hit it off just as she and Tony did. Now, she's faced with the question-- stay home and be with Jim... or return to New York, leaving everything behind again, and be with Tony.
That's the film. Like I said, it's nothing fancy. It's a light-hearted story about a simple Irish girl and her journey from Ireland to America and back again. But, it's far from mundane. There is a rich character journey along the way. Saoirse Ronan is magnificent as Eilis. We're able to watch her grow right in front of our eyes in obvious, yet still extremely subtle ways. A glance. A look. A hint of a smile or the trace of a tear. Ronan can do so much with just a look that director John Crowley set up individual lights around her head just to accentuate her eyes. What's great about Eilis, aside from Ronan's impressive performance, is the growth of the character. Yes, it's when Eilis meets Tony that she finally discovers her happiness in a foreign country. But, it's not because of her need of a man that makes her identify herself, it's that she figures out she can love again. She only had her sister and her mother at home and without them she was beginning to doubt her decision to leave and doubt herself. But, thanks to the love of Tony, she knows she's got what it takes to make it in America, man or no man. She's a strong female character portrayed by a strong actress.
The direction is stellar as well. The shading of the film changes with each new step of Eilis's life. It's dark and opaque in the beginning, but begins to brighten after each new moment of her journey. All of the supporting characters lend a hand, which is easy to do when Hornby has written a solid script with rich, and funny, characters. Brooklyn is not a film that's going to turn a lot of heads and make big numbers at the box office. But, I'm willing to bet that it'll be difficult to find someone that doesn't enjoy the movie immensely. I did.
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