dir. by John Crowley
Emotionally rich and deceptively deep, Brooklyn is a wonderfully charming take on the 50s immigrant experience.
Eilis (Saoirse Ronan) is an Irish woman who has made the journey to America in search of a new life. While there, she deals with overwhelming homesickness as she acclimatizes to her new city, something made easier once she finds love there. But when the pull of her birth country returns, she must choose between Ireland and her new life in America. For the first act and much of the second, Brooklyn takes the form of a slice-of-life drama, as Eilis grows into her life in the new city and her romance with Tony (Emory Cohen). It's a slow start to the film, but it's also filled in equal parts with humour and an overwhelming feeling of homesickness. It's simple yet evocative, and the bittersweet tone permeates the film from the very start. Perhaps as a result of its slow pace, the film can seem slight, but it wastes no time in letting its charm and emotional weight sink in.
As a consequence of its slow pace, Brooklyn creates a dense, fuzzy atmosphere that permeates the titular city with a feeling of warmth, which combines with Eilis' homesickness to create the film's distinctly bittersweet tone. Brooklyn doesn't feel like home to Eilis, at least not at first, and that's a huge factor in how wonderful it feels when things start to fall into place for her, and then in how terrible it feels when the film's biggest conflict kicks in. While the film is more focused on subtle exploration of the emotions felt by her, it also contains numerous emotional peaks which are particularly effective in exploring the sadness caused by the massive rift brought by Eilis moving away from her family. Indeed, the third act is built around the lasting impact of this rift, emphasizing Eilis' struggle to choose between her two homes and her loved ones' pain at her departure. It's in this third act where the film's beautiful emotional textures reach their strongest point, which is in no small part due to the more palpable conflict compared to the subtle uncertainty of the previous acts.
Ronan's performance as Eilis has been much lauded, and this praise is in no way undeserved. Her performance is as powerful as it is understated, communicating shyness and uncertainty alongside love and the aforementioned homesickness. She is a real marvel from start to finish, channelling all of the character's emotion into the focal point of her performance and making something truly heartbreaking. Her development from this initial point of uncertainty, guided by the events of the film, is communicated with precision and comes across organically. It's an impressive performance, deserving of the acclaim and Oscar buzz, and there's few this year which approach it.
However, although much of the film is defined by downbeat emotions, just as much of it possesses humour and joy. The romance between Eilis and Tony is wonderful, thanks in no small part to excellent work from the lead actors. Cohen's Tony is endlessly charming, and as a native of New York he exemplifies what it is that ties Eilis to her new city. As much a romantic interest as one of many symbols for Brooklyn itself, he is as essential a character as Eilis even in spite of being distinctly a supporting character. The humour is largely based on the genuinely hilarious families, especially through the wonderful dinner scenes. My favourite character is the youngest member of Tony's family, a boy with intelligence beyond his age and perhaps surpassing some of his older brothers, but he's just one of many thoroughly entertaining supporting characters which render Brooklyn a joy to watch.
The film also often looks absolutely beautiful. Lovely cinematography combines with spectacular period detail, and is accompanies by a soaring, wonderful music score. This period detail also comes across in the script, dealing as it does with the ethnic divisions of 50s Brooklyn and casually emphasizing the importance of religion to immigrants like Eilis. In stark contrast with Spotlight, the Catholic Church is a source of support here, with Father Flood (Jim Broadbent) assisting Eilis in finding her place in the new country. The film treats these historical textures with an impressive nonchalance, allowing them to simply slide into place as an essential and inseparable part of the setting.
Even in spite of the bittersweet tone it is often characterized by, Brooklyn is beautifully uplifting, depicting the beginning of a new life and how the uncertainty brought by a new environment can give way to more positive feelings. In this alongside the film's incredible charm and both warm and heartbreaking emotional textures, combined with the lovely construction and the brilliant lead performance from Saoirse Coen, the film is nothing short of sublime, and while it may appear slight at first glance, it will grow on you. It's fantastic, and its strong awards run is undoubtedly deserved.
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