Brooklyn

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.

Brooklyn is gorgeous old world esque Hollywood romance, cut from the same cloth as the tearful charmers of the 40's and 50's. It's also got some of the most lived in, authentic looking production design I've ever seen, efforts that it the filmmakers should be very proud of. Saoirse Ronan's intuitive, doe eyed acting style meshes perfectly with the material here, in the role of Eilis, a young Irish immigrant girl in the bustling spectacle of New York City for the first time. To go from a quaint, removed town in tiny Ireland to such a gigantic, populated environment is quite the culture shock indeed, and Ronan infuses this into her work nicely. She arrives with no friends, no family, under the sponsorship of a kindly priest (A relaxed Jim Broadbent, always welcome), boarding with a mother hen of a woman (Mrs. Weasle- I mean Julie Walters) and the other mischievous girls under her care. The scenes of them at the dinner table are packed with dry, well written girly banter and are a joy to watch. One day, as she must, she meets a boy in the form of blue collar Italian American Tony (Emory Cohen), and the two immediately have attraction that the film carefully, sparingly kindles with humble character development and realistic interaction. When tragedy calls her back to Ireland, their relationship is put to the test, and she beautifully comes to terms with lessons and trials which befall all girls and boys at such an age. The title of the movie is very fitting; the amount of painstaking care that has gone into bringing the setting and time period to life is staggering, from cars, costumes and architecture to the linguistic cadence that people used back then. Truly an immersive technical achievement, which when combined with the stellar performances and direction make a well rounded film in all areas.

I was lucky enough to get tickets to a preview of Brooklyn last week, and in a rare change from the normal routine, I went into a film knowing absolutely nothing about it.

It was such a full house, that I ended up staring up at the screen from well outside my usual comfort zone at an awkward angle, too close to the screen, and away from my girlfriend which wasn't a great start, but once the film started I was quickly caught up in the magnificence of Saoirse Ronan's performance and forgot about any of those minor gripes.

Ronan owned this film, from first to last. The storyline itself is a somewhat thin and a follows a well-trodden path but Ronan gives it such heft, and brings the intensity of her character's experience and development full force such that any deficiencies of the story seem inconsequential. It was only after leaving the screening that I really looked back at some of the plot points and realised how contrived it had been in places, but for the time I was watching it, I was simply living it through the potency of the acting. Ronan was brilliant in this, and I struggle to think of any recent performances that can match this for the confidence and sure-footedness that she showed. I think she's in with a good shout for an award or two for this role.

It's worth mentioning Julie Waters as well, who reliably entertains and impresses in all she does. Between her and Saoirse Ronan, they made sure that Brooklyn passed the 6 laugh test – and also the 6 cry test. I laughed, and cried, and laughed as I was crying, and cried as I was laughing pretty much throughout the whole film. A thoroughly enjoyable film, where the central performance takes the audience on an engrossing and emotional trip through an otherwise somewhat slight storyline.

Saiorse Ronan needs to be in more movies. She's an absolute delight, whatever she's in. Brooklyn is Ronan's finest 111 minutes to date. All the anguish, all the emotion she portrays, is seen through her eyes. Eilis (Ronan), is torn between two worlds: Ireland and America, missing her family back home and starting afresh halfway across the world in Brooklyn, New York. Events that occur only make it harder for Eilis. Emory Cohen's Tony sparks confidence in our out-of-sorts protagonist. Ronan's acting is so brazenly from the heart that I can't help but feel everything she feels, even during her hardest times. Special mention goes to Julie Walters who oversees the girls in the boarding house that Eilis resides. Brooklyn is an extraordinary watch due to class acting from all round. It's funny, clever and charming.

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.