Brooklyn

 

“…and one day the sun will come out and you’ll realize that this is where your life is.”

Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, The Lovely Bones) stars in this charming tale as Eilis, a 20-something Irish immigrant who came to Brooklyn for a better life – helmed by acclaimed theatre director John Crowley with a screenplay by Nick Hornby (An Education, Wild)  the story is set against the backdrop of 50s New York, based on Colm Toibin’s book of the same name .

The film tells a simple yet poignant story about love. Eilis, an Irish immigrant who is stricken with feelings of loneliness and alienation having been away from home and all that she holds dear; finds herself falling for the city once strange to her and falling for a guy who taught her that “home” isn’t really a place but a feeling.

Ronan gave the performance of her career and years from now, this is one of the roles that history will use when they trace the steps by which Ronan became a great actor – she is alive and heartbreaking, she has the ability to make the audience care for her and make them feel what she feels. That’s why when Tony (Emory Cohen) comes along, I was just glad and was smitten alongside her. Speaking of Tony, the casting of this film is something that’s very commendable too not only for the main roles but also the supporting cast around them (Dohmnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters) even the girls at her boarding house were sublime as they exchange witty banters during their dinner scenes.

Aside from the cast, the direction and dialogue were impeccable; Crowley and Hornby conveyed a poignant narrative with subtle yet impactful transitions and exchange of thought, both of which served the film really well in telling a universal feeling of love and longing thus making this gem of a film an instant classic. Brooklyn is one of the year’s finest and I will even go so far as to say that this, for me is the best of 2015. What can I say? It’s a film for the ages!

 

I can’t wait to see it again! So please, do yourself a favor and watch it – Brooklyn opens on select theatres starting today.

 

 

 

*Disclaimer: I haven’t seen The Revenant & Spotlight yet so there’s a SLIM chance that Brooklyn will move to 2nd or 3rd best film of 2015 for me. I’ll be sure to update it if ever! 🙂 

 

-F