NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival. Brooklyn opens November 6th.
There's a simple, intoxicating beauty to John Crowley's immigrant drama, Brooklyn. Compared to other Sundance films, it may seem a bit old-fashioned and safe, but there's value in a familiar story told incredibly well. Thankfully, there's no attempt to "dirty up" the plight of those who ventured to America looking for a better life; this isn't The Immigrant, thank goodness.
Given screenwriter Nick Hornby's past explorations of the male psyche (High Fidelity, About a Boy, Fever Pitch), it's pretty amazing how good he's become writing female characters in An Education and Wild. Brooklyn works almost as a sister title to those films, looking at a shy girl's ascent to womanhood, and the difficult choices she must make while a stranger in a strange land. Already one of today's best actresses, Saoirse Ronan outdoes herself as Ellis Lacey, a young Irish girl looking to escape the meager opportunities her town has to offer in the 1950s. With the help of her older sister, who must stay behind to take care of their mother, Ellis is given a chance at a better life in America. Leaving behind her family and all that she's ever known is tough, and very nearly too much to bear. The journey to America, aboard a sprawling and very rocky ship, also proves an ugly learning experience. When she arrives in Brookly, NY with hundreds of others, the already-shy Ellis is overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people, their attitudes, and the cultural differences.
Being prim and proper may have worked back home but in Brooklyn it gets Ellis nothing but homesick. She gets some help from the family priest (Jim Broadbent) who sets her up in a boarding house run by the stern and lovable Mrs. Kehoe (Julie Walters), who doesn't tolerate any guff from any of the other girls (Emily Bett Rickards of CW's Arrow, Nora Jane-Noone, and Eve Macklin) but has a soft spot for Ellis. But the pull of home is unshakeable and soon Ellis drifts into an overwhelming sadness that nearly costs her fancy job at a high-end store. But just when she least expects it, a night on the town ends with her meeting Tony (Emory Cohen), an Italian boy who slowly breaks Ellis out her shell. That they come from two completely different worlds only seems to draw them closer, and soon Ellis is seeing the full potential of what a life in America can be. But just as she's starting to find her place, circumstances force her back to Ireland and the easing comforts of home.
Intimate and romantic, Brooklyn feels like a deeply personal film from Crowley, who made a splash in 2007 with Boy A, the film that helped launch Andrew Garfield's career. Not that Saoirse Ronan needs the boost but clearly she has found something special working with Crowley here, and her performance is the kind awards are made for. The rest of the cast is strong, as well, in particular Emory Cohen (who some may remember from The Place Beyond the Pines) as the surprisingly gentle Tony. Their courtship develops naturally and is full of wonderful highs and some unexpected rough patches upon Ellis' return to Ireland. Cohen is so good that he actually makes it easy to dislike Domhnall Gleeson who plays a charming man Ellis begins to fall for back home. That's also when the film begins to venture into uncharted waters as Ellis weighs a life in America with Tony or a life at home with this new man who is everything she used to dream about.Handsomely shot and beautifully constructed, Brooklyn is a truly great American story. It's about leaving home for the first time and making one's own way in the world, while never forgetting where you came from.
Rating: 4 out of 5
