Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Samantha Munro, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson

Directed by John Crowley

The Story:
Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) is a small-town Irish girl living with her mother and older sister.  She doesn't seem to have a lot going for her in Ireland, as she works for the insufferable Miss Kelly (Brid Brennan) and gets the opportunity of a lifetime to go to New York City thanks to her sister Rose (Fiona Glascott). 

She boards the boat and sets sail, but since she never left her small town she's not used to being on a boat or the rude people around her.  Thankfully her bunkmate teaches her everything she needs to know, including how to look more beautiful.

Upon arriving in Brooklyn, she lives in an Irish boarding house and works at a department store.  One night she meets Italian Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen), and the two begin a courtship that slowly blossoms into a full-blown romance.

When terrible news reaches Eilis, she rushes back to Ireland and begins to discover there's more to her hometown than she thought.  She was offered a job right away, and caught the eye of Jim Farrell (Domhnall Gleeson).  She struggles with her feelings for Tony and America and for Jim and Ireland, and wonders where her true home lies.

The Summary:
Romantic movies are by far my least favorite form of movies.  I find them monotonous, pretentious, obvious and downright dull.  Nicholas Sparks will earn no money from me ever.  However, since "Brooklyn" was nominated for Best Picture, I had to swallow my fears and try to endure.  Interestingly, I didn't need to endure it, as I positively loved it from beginning to end.  I was surprised that I enjoyed it so much, and that has in large part due to the lead actress, directing, and story. 

Saoirse Ronan exploded on the screen in the critically acclaimed "Atonement," where she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.  Now she's advanced to the adults' table, as she's garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Actress here, and it's very well-deserved, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if she won.  She gives a one-of-a-kind performance here, showcasing her natural beauty and innocence with just a glance from her beautiful eyes.  She's an earthly angel, ethereal, a modern day Rita Hayworth or Grace Kelly.  If the film had any other actress as the lead, it would've failed.  But in Ronan's very capable hands, the movie becomes an experience more than just another cookie-cutter romance.

Director John Crowley delivers another spectacular visual story as he transports us to the 1950s in every way - fashion, style, and language.  It's so surprising now to see how much Eilis suffers in New York being away from her family, but then we remember that there were no cell phones, Internet, or Facetime back then.  You could wait weeks before hearing word from your loved ones, and that's something I don't think many people nowadays understand, but it adds an even deeper depth of emotion to Ronan's performance, and makes you feel as alienated as she does. 

The romance in this movie also harkens back to those simpler times, where couples were more than willing to take a relationship slow and let it develop naturally instead of immediately jumping into something they're not ready for.  Emory Cohen gives an impeccable performance as Tony, the outgoing Italian who lives up to every Italian trope ever, but doesn't become a caricature.  Needless to say, the romance between Eilis and Tony is a lot better than "Twilight," and even possibly better than any Sparks novelization or any romance movie period over the last ten years.

The Summary:
To be able to make me not just love, but appreciate, a romantic film is no easy feat.  "Brooklyn" managed to not just do that, but keep me smiling from start to finish.

The Score: A+