Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent
Brooklyn
Director: John Crowley
Rating: 5/5
Brooklyn is a movie that has been whipping up a storm since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of the most talked about and acclaimed movies of last autumn. Brooklyn has gone on to feature heavily during the award's season and picked up three Oscar nomination, including Best Picture.
An adaptation of the book of the same name by Colm Tóibín, Brooklyn sees John Crowley back in the director's chair for his first feature since the release of Closed Circuit back in 2013.
Brooklyn is the story of Eilis, a young woman who moves from small-town Ireland to Brooklyn, NY where she strives to forge a new life for herself, finding work and first love in the process. When a family tragedy brings her back to Ireland, she finds herself confronting a terrible dilemma - a heart-breaking choice between two men and two countries.
Brooklyn may be a movie that is surrounded in a lot of hype but it really doesn't disappoint as it is a terrific watch that will well and truly tug on those heartstrings and bring a tear to your eye.
Saoirse Ronan is one of the most exciting actresses around and she takes on the central role of Eilis, delivering the performance of her career. Ronan has been making a name for herself ever since she picked up a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her work in Atonement, but this is the movie that will send her star rocketing even further.
It is a powerful performance from the actress as Eilis, a young woman who is trying to find her way and place in the world. It is a terrific character study of a woman caught between two different lives; the one at home in Ireland with her family and the freedom that New York offers her. Ronan's wonderful performance was rewarded with her first Best Actress Oscar nomination.
Crowley really has delivered a gem of a movie that mix drama, humour and emotion, while having a big heart and packed with bucket loads of charm. He has captured the 1950s beautifully and wonderfully contrasts Ireland with the glitz and glamour of New York. There's something crisp, clean and incredibly classic about the look of the film - it really is a beautiful looking movie.
It is not hard to see why audiences and critics are falling hard and fast for Brooklyn as it is a movie that takes you on a real journey. Yes, we are swept along by the central character of Eilis, but it becomes a story about a group of immigrants rather than that of a single character. You feel incredibly invested in these characters and you want them to succeed and find whatever it is that they are looking for.
For me, Ronan is the true star of this movie and it is her performance that pulls you into this movie and this incredibly powerful and moving story. Brooklyn is the movie and the performance that will turn her from young actress to bona-fide Hollywood leading lady.
Brooklyn is out now on DVD & Blu-ray.
Tagged in Saoirse Ronan