Brooklyn

10/10✨

the best

source: Brooklyn

Ireland, early-1950s. Eilis Lacey is a young woman working in a grocery shop. She has greater ambitions and moves to Brooklyn, New York, leaving her mother and sister, Rose, behind. She is terribly homesick but eventually settles down, finding a job, studying to be a bookkeeper and meeting a nice young man, Tony. Things are going well but then she learns that Rose has died, and decides to return to Ireland, temporarily. She and Tony hastily get married and then she sets off back to Ireland, alone. Life is about to complicated... Sweet film, but not anywhere near as profound as it takes itself. The set up was good and Eilis's finding happiness in New York was quite heart-warming. The warmness and sweetness of the first half of the movie was enhanced by a wonderful performance by Saoirse Ronan. She imbues Eilis with great vulnerability, self-reliance, sweetness and likability. However, the warmth and potential of the first half is mostly negated by the second half. Here the plot gets clumsy and contrived. A secret that shouldn't have been a secret and an implausible love triangle become the main plot devices of the second half. Instead of being engaged by Eilis's new-found happiness mixed with tragedy we have a convoluted, implausible soap opera unfolding. Ending was reasonably emotional, but the Ireland sojourn definitely took the shine off the movie.

Crafted with care, told with elegance & resonating a deep sense of warmth throughout its runtime, Brooklyn is the story of an immigrant that beautifully illustrates the struggles faced when trying to adjust in a new environment with people you don't know & places you aren't familiar with, and not only does it work as a wonderful coming-of-age drama but also succeeds as a pleasant love story. Based on the novel of the same name, the story of Brooklyn takes place during the early 1950s and follows a young Irish immigrant who leaves her hometown to seek a better future in the titular town of New York where, after struggling for a while, she manages to bring some stability in her life. But when an unexpected tragedy strikes back home, she's forced to confront her past and make a hard choice. Directed by John Crowley, the plot is divided into three segments with the first one focusing on her inexperience & the difficult time she endures during her initial days in the new country. The second segment covers her life in Brooklyn and the different things she experiences there while the last one brings her back to the place she went away from where circumstances compel her to make a decision that will alter her life. Written by Nick Hornby, the movie tackles the issues faced by immigrants in a lightweight manner plus the characters are quite compelling. The set pieces are reminiscent of the timeline it tries to depict, Cinematography uses different colour tones for each segment and its bright lighting keeps the ambiance more inviting. Editing unravels the plot in a controlled way and pace is never hurried. Plus, all the period drama elements are nicely handled. Coming to the performances, Brooklyn packs a fine cast in Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters & others, and all of them are convincing in their given roles. Effortlessly stealing the show is Ronan who carries the whole film all by herself plus her excellent performance is this flick's real highlight. Cohen & Gleeson chip in with fine supporting work while Walters is a treat to watch even if her appearance is quite brief. On an overall scale, Brooklyn is a heartwarming, captivating & fulfilling movie that's as much about growing up & finding your identity in life as it is about love & relationships, is powered by a strong lead performance from Saoirse Ronan, and addresses its universal themes in a sensible manner. Expertly directed, deftly written, exquisitely photographed, patiently edited, consistently paced & aptly scored, Brooklyn is one of the better films of 2015 and is definitely worth a shot.

Set in the 1950s, a young Irish woman emigrates to New York for a life with better prospects. Initially she misses home but gradually adapts to her new lifestyle and secretly marries. She returns to Ireland for a visit after the death of her sister, who was looking after her mother. Despite intending that her return is to be brief she begins to settle back into her previous Irish life. She reacquaints herself with old friends and a possible romance with a local lad begins to develop. She is torn between fondness for her old life in Ireland with a new romance and the excitement of her new life across the Atlantic with her husband. She is faced with the decision of a lifetime. Whilst there's nothing new in this story it deals with recurring themes well. A sweet, charming drama with wonderful acting and touching moments.

Colm Toibin is a great writer. Nick Hornby is not. I have enjoyed some of C.T.'s novels a great deal (In fact "The Heather Blazing" is a favorite of mine.) I like his genteel style in such work. The performances here are fine, or better than fine; it looks lovely: the color palette, the costumes, the scenes and scenery all make for a fine backdrop. Where it fails, and it is a major failing, is that it says nothing of any real worth about the migrant experience. Eilis (Saoirise Ronan) is shipped off to NYC through the assistance of her thoughtful sister and a kindly priest. (In a good performance by Jim Broadbent as Father Flood.) Up until an easily predicted plot development the difficulties faced by our heroine are a bout of seasickness, the need for 30 seconds training in her new job as a shop assistant, and a touch of homesickness. While I'm happy to see women succeed, there would have been far more dirt under the fingernails of all of these women. Apart from the minor matter of losing her virginity, Eilis could indeed be the sainted mother of God. It all suffers from Nick Hornby blandness. Everything he touches turns to bland. My advice: stay away from his cooking and, more importantly, his "creative" projects. This is not meant to be an art house atmospheric enigma, nor is it, but it fails to involve solely because of a threadbare plot that avoids detailing the threadbare aspects of lives led by women who were, in reality, the working poor.

Sweet little love story of an Irish lass who comes to America circa 1950. She leaves her home in Enniscorthy (Co. Wexford) and comes to seek fame and fortune - and maybe a 'fella' - in Brooklyn. Subsequent events draw her back to Enniscorthy, and then back to Brooklyn. In between we come to know Eilis (pronounced Ailish) Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) quite well because it is her picture, and she is in nearly every scene. She changes from a homesick immigrant to a self-assured woman in the course of the picture, and Ronan's characterization is terrific. Along the way she meets Tony Fiorello, played by Emory Cohen in a role apparently underplayed so as not to upstage the main character. He comes from a big Italian family but is not a stereotypical Italian; he is barely audible and very subdued. Perhaps the best and most humorous scenes take place at dinnertime in Mrs. Kehoe's boarding house for Irish immigrant girls. Played by Julie Walters, she rides herd on her catty boarders and uses religious metaphors to put them in their place. "Brooklyn" is a movie for grown-ups, an independent film in a sea of Hollywood schlock. It is a likable movie with a lot of heart and solid acting down to the smallest role. It is not a sprawling saga but a nice little movie, and I have only sketched a few instances. Many reviewers summarize the whole picture, but the overall tenor of the picture gives the moviegoer a rooting interest and a sense of the resiliency of the human spirit, as well as an illustration of the innate decency and goodness of Eilis Lacey. P.S. Those hoping to see scenes of Brooklyn neighborhoods will be disappointed; the picture was filmed in Canada and Ireland.

Every year when the best movie nominations are revealed, I watch all of them to decide if they are worthy. I was surprised that Brooklyn is nominated because I have no idea why. The acting is good from every one involved. Saoirse Ronan as usual shows her limitless talent. However I have trouble caring about the events in her life or the characters. These events are meant to be extraordinary - migrating to a foreign land, overcoming homesickness to thrive in the new environment, falling in love and marrying someone from another culture as well as losing a beloved family member back home. It seems like they are just glossed over lightly and at a rather slow pace. There were some inspiring words narrated over but it still feels like a TV movie rather than one for the big screen hoping to win big awards.

Looming skyscrapers in a distant land, the kindness of strangers, love and hope for a better life; such things open the eyes of Eilis, a smart and insular immigrant to 1950s Brooklyn, to opportunities she did not have in the Irish countryside. While at first lonely and homesick in this new cityscape, Eilis is soon enthralled with the bright possibilities, encouraged by all she is learning and charmed by the people she meets. She breaks free from her shell and shines in this radiant, unfamiliar realm. Returning to Ireland for what she hopes is a brief stay, Eilis both sees through and is seen in a luminous and different light. Both worlds, New York and her Irish home, now pull the new and improved Eilis in different directions. Saoirse Ronan is spectacular in her performance as Eilis. She really makes this Sundance hit come alive. It is comforting, as always, to see a film that does not depend on explosions, computer graphics and alien contagions to entertain. There is a deeper pleasure here, one that pulls at mind, spirit, body and heart together. Visuals, story, organization, acting, intriguing characters and more, all come together well.