Sumptuously made and gloriously acted, Brooklyn is one of the year’s best films. This fact is surprising to yours truly as I did not expect to be so transported and emotionally moved by this movie. But there’s not a single moment in Brooklyn that won’t take you to a new place.
Saoirse Ronan plays Eilis Lacey, a young Irish girl who is preparing to head to America, Brooklyn to be specific. She’s leaving behind her mother and sister, but to have a chance at traveling and getting away from a terrible boss, she puts on a brave face and leaves. It’s not all smooth sailing (literally, she gets horribly sick on the boat over) and once in Brooklyn she manages to fend with being homesick and alone in a new country. She soon meets a young man (Emory Cohen) and the two begin a sweet love affair, which helps her realize her promise. However, she is soon ripped from her comfort by an issue back home and travels back to Ireland, where the past tries to hold her down and new friends threaten to become something more, forcing her to make a big decision.
What works so well about this film is that it is just so earnest and heart felt. Every frame, though thoroughly composed and crafted, is filled with so much heart. You just get swept up in the story, despite the movie not really hitting on anything “important.” This might seem as a slight but the script by Nick Hornby really does eschew most of the usual period piece trappings, and instead uses the time to give each character unique characteristics and just keep us moving with a succinct, yet emotionally resonant story. John Crowley shows us that great direction doesn’t have to overwhelm with stylistic flourishes, but instead stems from translating the story to the screen with the necessary touch. Crowley is in full control of this picture, knowing when and what to focus your gaze to wonderful effect.
One, or several things we have to focus our gaze on is the actors. Saoirse Ronan, already an Oscar nominee for Atonement, might find herself in contention again for this role. She is the truth in this part, using her expressive face to maximum gain. What struck me about Ronan in this part is that much of what she has to do in this part is a balancing act between an audience vehicle and fully fleshed out character. That’s a tough line to walk, making us sympathize with a common narrative while also inhabiting the specifics of the character Eilis, but it’s so wonderful to see her using her acting prowess to deliver such a nuanced and lived in performance.
Supporting her in this effort is Emory Cohen, who in my estimation, manages to give one of the most tender, yet masculine performance in recent memory. Seriously, he’s channeling every bit of youthful swagger he has, but he mixes it in with a kind of fairy tale romanticism and a child like wonder, that you can help be swept up in it. Cohen has often grated this reviewer in the past, but I was so enthralled by him in this role from moment one. Not a single misstep with this one. Other supporting highlights were Julie Walters as the delightful Mrs. Kehoe and Domhnall Gleeson, continuing his marvelous 2015, with a great turn as Jim Farrell, another romantic option for Eilis.
Brooklyn arrives in theaters on Nov 3rd.