Brooklyn, based on Colm Toibin’s novel of the same name, is the new directorial effort from John Crowley. Already alight with Oscar buzz, the film is a rich visual spectacle with wonderful performances from the whole cast, making Brooklyn a sure contender for this year.
Set in the 1950s, it follows the journey of 19-year-old Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) from her native Ireland to the busy streets of Brooklyn in search of a better life. Finding love in Brooklyn with Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen), it starts to feel like home. However, when an emergency forces her to return to Ireland she must choose between the life she has found in Brooklyn and her old life in Ireland.
Brooklyn is an emotionally charged and life-affirming film. Although the central narrative of immigration is poignant, at its heart it is a film about a young girl learning to live life away from the confines of family and small town life, and finding her own path in the real world. Anyone who has ever experienced an upheaval of their life, whether it be starting university or moving abroad, will immediately connect with Eilis, superbly played by Ronan, and feel some kind of resonance with her journey. From the more comic situation of Eilis not realising that you are supposed to put your swimsuit on underneath your clothes before you go to the beach, to the more heart-wrenching scene of her reading letters from home, you can’t help but feel a certain sense of oneness with her.
Saoirse Ronan is easily the star of this film. Previously giving award-winning performances in Atonement, The Lovely Bones and Hanna, this may be her best performance to date. She delivers emotion in a subtly powerful way and commands the screen with each appearance. An equally amazing cast of big names and unknowns alike supports her. Julie Walters is the standout of these, providing many comic moments as landlady Madge Kehoe around the boarding house dinner table. Emory Cohen delivers a solid performance as Tony, Eilis’s love interest. The chemistry between the two of them is effortless and natural, making it a joy to watch.
Visually the film is stunning, with some spectacular shots of both the Irish countryside and the high-rises of Brooklyn. Crowley manages to evoke the homesickness felt by Eilis through his use of setting and sound, with Irish influences often pervading the scenes in Brooklyn. The time period is also captured effortlessly, with costumes and setting richly imagined.
Brooklyn is a definite must-see and more than just your usual romance. Whether young or old, the coming of age story is one many people can identify with and it is more than a pleasure to watch, so head on down to the cinema – it’s not to be missed.
Ellie Hills
Image: Photograph: PR/Kerry Brown/Fox Searchlight/AP