Brooklyn

If there’s a word to describe Brooklyn, it would be “quaint.”  It is straightforward, extremely likable, and aggressively… quaint.   It provides plenty of drama, but it’s understated.  There's a good love story, but it’s quiet.  I don’t think a single character yells or screams throughout the film’s two-hour runtime; a rarity to find during awards season.  I had no idea what to expect from Brooklyn, having seen no trailers beforehand, but it didn’t take long for the opening scenes to win me over with their peaceful nature and abundance of charm.   It was probably for the best; my ears were still ringing a bit from seeing Spectre the day before.

The film follows Eilis (Saoirse Ronan), a young woman who lives in Ireland in the 1950s.  With a bright mind but no discernable future, she moves to America (Brooklyn, to be exact) to start a new life.  Naturally, she’s homesick beyond belief; her mother (Jane Brennan) and sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) were all she ever had, and every day she feels increasingly isolated and lonely.  That is until she meets Tony (Emory Cohen), and Italian plumber (insert Super Mario joke here) who practically falls in love with her at first sight.  Now in love with Tony, Eilis has a choice to make when it becomes possible for her to move back to Ireland; can she leave it all for him?

Based on a novel by Colm Toibin, there doesn't appear to be a pretentious bone in Brooklyn’s body.  It knows what it is and fully commits to its reserved, understated tone.  Does it ever become bland?  Occasionally.  It’s shot very well, but I wouldn’t call the movie “beautiful.”  But that’s hardly an issue; while slow-moving, the story never drags because screenwriter Nick Hornby does a great job of moving piloting their scenes with well-developed characters.  The cast is really solid as well; major talent like Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters show up to add some prestige to the affair, but the film really hinges on Ronan’s performance.  She and Cohen have wonderful chemistry and are very easy to root for. There’s a sweetness and authenticity to their relationship that I found refreshing and honest.  And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention James DiGiamcomo, who plays Tony’s eight-year-old brother and is an absolute scene-stealer.

Though Brooklyn is a period piece through and through, its themes of social isolation and starting a new life are relevant and relatable today.  More specifically, it captures a very specific cycle of what happens to young people when they leave home for the first time: the leaving, the wanting to die of homesickness, the surviving, the loving of your new life, and then the dilemma about which place you want to live permanently.  Think modern college life or studying abroad.  Brooklyn is a funny and romantic film that has modest goals and meets them with deceptive ease.  You won’t find explosive arguments or dramatic speeches about feminism here (but make no mistake, this is a strong feminist piece), and that’s precisely why I liked it so much.

8/10