Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Brooklyn (2015, PG-13)


Having seen Brooklyn, I’m a little surprised it was nominated for best picture.  Not that isn’t an excellent film – it definitely is – but even now with the expanded best picture category, it doesn’t quite seem like the sort of film that would get nominated.  It feels… too small, maybe?  Not a big enough story?  I’m not sure why it seems that way.  Maybe after last year’s boys’ club, I’ve been conditioned not to see a young woman’s relatively personal character journey as “Oscar material.”  Nevertheless, I’m very glad it did get recognized because, as I said, it’s really wonderfully done.



Eilis can’t see a future for herself in Ireland.  With the help of her loving sister, she’s able to book passage on a ship bound for Ellis Island.  Brooklyn in 1951 is an entirely different world – while Eilis is surrounded by the Irish community there, she still doesn’t feel “home.”  Gradually, though, she begins to grow into her new country as well as herself.  Friendship, opportunity, and love all wait for her to be bold enough to chase after it.



This is a lovely film.  The period details are nicely realized, Eilis’s struggles are by turns stark and quietly heartbreaking, and by the same token, her rewards are a joy to watch.  I love watching the profound changes in her that develop slowly and subtly over the course of the movie.  The relationships on display here are also great.  I get a huge kick out of both her landlady and her fellow lodgers at the all-female boarding house where Eilis is placed (side note – very nearly everyone in this movie is a woman, and I think that’s really neat) and enjoy the sweet romantic plot that weaves its way through her story.  And even though most of their interactions take place through letters, Eilis’s relationship with her older sister is really moving.



Writer Nick Hornby (of, among other things, An Education and About a Boy) is up for best adapted screenplay.  I have absolutely no knowledge of the novel Brooklyn is based on, but I’m definitely a fan of the writing here.  The humor sparkles – the boarding-house scenes really are a highlight – and never feels overwritten.  Similarly, sadder moments are penned (and framed, by director John Crowley) with a delicate touch and earnest emotions.



Our third major nomination goes to Saoirse Ronan (who I saw first as Briony in Atonement and more recently as the lead in Hanna.)  She’s superb as Eilis, deftly portraying every stage of the young woman’s evolution with her beautifully understated performance.  Ronan carries the film, no question – I’m pretty sure she’s in every single scene, and she has a talent for telling you everything that’s going on with Eilis without saying a word.  I also want to mention Emory Cohen, who’s greatly likeable as Eilis’s potential beau.  Additionally, the film features Harry Potter alumni Julie Walters (Molly Weasley,) Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn,) and Domhnall Gleeson (Bill Weasley) – all three are great, especially the fantastic Walters (sadly, none of them share any scenes together.)  I’m not familiar with any of the actresses who play the other boarding-house girls, but each one is a delight in her own specific way.



Warnings


A little sexual content (including one sex scene,) a bit of gross-out stuff, some language, and drinking/smoking.

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