Based on the 2009
novel by Irish author Colm TóibÃn (and adapted by screenwriter Nick Hornby),
“Brooklyn” is a lovely romantic period drama that follows shy country girl
Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) as she relocates from her home in
Enniscorthy, Ireland, to America in the early 1950’s. Eilis’ journey is
arranged by her older sister, Rose (Fiona Glascott), who recognizes the limited
prospects that await her sibling if she remains in their provincial town.
Battling against a
profound sense of homesickness and loneliness, Eilis manages to make a life for
herself, settling in a Brooklyn boardinghouse run by a sharp-tongued landlady
(Julie Walters), getting a job at a posh department store, and being romanced
by a charming Italian-American plumber (Emory Cohen).
But when fate
intervenes and tragic circumstances call for her to return to Ireland, where
she’s pursued by an eligible suitor (Domhnall Gleeson), she finds herself
caught between her new life and the one she once knew.
Unabashedly
sentimental and achingly sincere, “Brooklyn” presents an immigrant experience
shot through with a rosy, nostalgic glow. During this time of
heightened, antagonistic rhetoric against immigrants, it’s refreshing to see
America once again presented as the land of opportunity.
Director John
Crowley, along with immaculate work by production designer François Séguin and
costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux, nail the period
details and Hornby’s nimble script invests it all with a deeply felt emotion.
Since earning an
Oscar nomination at 13 for her role in “Atonement,” Saoirse Ronan has blossomed
into a remarkably assured young actress, and she delivers an effortlessly
empathetic performance, even without the benefit of the interior monologue
provided by the novel.
Exploring what
“home” truly means and the way it can shift and change throughout our lives,
“Brooklyn” is Eilis’ coming-of-age story; as we follow her journey, we see the
subtle changes as the timid girl grows into a confidant young woman. Opening
just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s hard to imagine anyone not
being won over by the film’s big-hearted spirit, making “Brooklyn” a solid
choice for a post-dinner family trip to the movies.
This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2015.
