This review was first published in The Student Pocket Guide
As career beginnings
go, Saoirse Ronan has done pretty well. The Irish-American actress
counts the likes of Keira Knightley, Wes Anderson, Cate Blanchett and
Peter Jackson as colleagues, and her performance as Briony Tallis in
2007's Atonement earned her an Oscar nomination. Not bad for a
21 year-old. Her latest film, Brooklyn,
is emblematic of this much-deserved success.
Deftly
adapted by Nick Hornby from the novel by Colm Tóibín, Brooklyn
is a heart-warming – and
heart-breaking – drama starring Saoirse Ronan as small-town, and
rather unremarkable, Irish girl Eilis Lacey, who emigrates to New
York in the early 1950s in search of better job prospects and a more
fulfilling existence. Leaving behind her much-loved mother (played by
Jane Brennan) and sister (Fiona Glascott), Eilis embarks on the
(rather fraught) trip across the Atlantic which has been organised by
Jim Broadbent's benevolent priest, who acts as a comfort when the
inevitable homesickness kicks in.
Her
new life in Brooklyn is both alien and overwhelming, and Eilis
struggles to shake off thoughts of home. A job in an up-market
department store does little to bolster her spirits and even Julie
Walters on top form as Eilis' landlady seems unable to cure her
longing for home. That is, until Eilis meets an Italian New Yorker at
an Irish dance and her whole outlook changes. Emory Cohen plays the
sweet Italian plumber, and plays him with such a naturalistic style
that the pair's subsequent romance is utterly convincing. But, just
as the audience have dried their eyes after Eilis' initial departure,
tragedy strikes back in Ireland and Eilis must briefly return to her
old life.
On
arriving back, she meets Jim Farrell and finds herself experiencing
the life, and love, she could have enjoyed, had she stayed in
Ireland. The tensions here between family loyalty and personal
happiness and notions of belonging and home will strike a chord with
many, and the film's essential question boils down to whether Eilis
will stay in Ireland or return to New York. Under a lesser director,
this emotionally-charged, but fairly predictable, subject matter
could have spilled over into saccharine cliché, but director John
Crowley allows the plot to mature and unfurl in its own time,
developing characters who really seem to matter to the audience.
Crowley's
direction is restrained and understated, but all the more affecting
for it. A scene early in Eilis' Brooklyn life sees her help out at a
church-organised dinner for the Irish elderly – men who helped to
build the bridges and tunnels of the New York metropolis. One of the
men gets up and sings a traditional Irish song, evoking memories for
Eilis of home. It is a moment which could easily have had the
audience sticking their fingers down their throats, but the film's
perceptive dialogue, engaging characters and fantastic performances
unite to make it very moving.
On
the subject of performances, Saoirse Ronan really is the lynchpin of
the film, captivating the camera with her electric-blue eyes as it
focusses on her in tight close up, capturing her transformation from
a rather uninspiring girl to a confident young woman. The portrayal
of a woman stuck between two worlds – the old and the new; America
and Ireland; opportunity and missed opportunity – is handled
beautifully by Ronan. Visually, the film is a treat and the
production design for the 1950s hair, clothes and scenery is
wonderfully rich.
In
narrative terms, Brooklyn is hardly revolutionary, but the sum
of its parts adds up to be much more than a simple tale of new
beginnings. It would be almost impossible to drown Saoirse Ronan in
superlatives: she is sensational. The drama envelops the audience
totally and affectingly, and is often as funny as it is poignant. Oh,
and in case you're wondering, it's pronounced “ Sur-shah”. And
“Ay-lish”. You're welcome.
Clapperboard Rating: * * * *
