March 28, 2024

Film review Brooklyn

KATHERINE BURT-ROBINSON

Theatrical release poster for Brooklyn (2015)

Genre: Romance/Drama

Director: John Crowley

Age Rating: PG-13

Rating: 4 stars

Set in the 1950s, Brooklyn is about a young Irish girl, Eilis Lace (portrayed by Saoirse Ronan), who emigrates to the United States in search of a bigger life than the one her small town can offer her.

The film follows Eilis as she navigates life in Brooklyn. Viewers witness as she deals with homesickness, and later falls in love, only to have to return home after the death of a family member. Torn between the comfort of her hometown and the lure of her new life in New York, Eilis must choose between the two.

Eilis’s struggle between the life she’s always known in Ireland, and the life she’s building for herself in New York, is masterfully depicted through a culmination of excellent performances, screenwriting and direction.

Saoirse Ronan’s performance as Eilis Lane is near-perfect. She captures every one of her character’s complex feelings of homesickness and vulnerability in a strange new world, as well as excitement and newfound independence.

Upon viewing, it almost immediately becomes clear why Brooklyn received a nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The movie is able to take a simple, coming-of-age story and turn it into a spellbinding viewing experience.

WATCH THE TRAILER FOR BROOKLYN HERE: