By CYNTHIA BIDDLECOMB
Movie Poster for ‘Brooklyn’
In 1951, Eilis Lacey’s older sister, Rose, arranges for her to leave Ireland to find opportunities much lacking at home. Rose (Fiona Glascott, Indian Summers) will stay with their widowed mother so Eilis can start a new life across the ocean.
This is Eilis’ story: the nerve it took for her to leave home and country, to work and settle into life in Brooklyn, New York. So many of our forebears did just this in the first half of the 20th century. Father Flood (Jim Broadbent), a friend of the family, an Irish priest in Brooklyn, has lined up the boarding house and the department store job for Eilis. The Brooklyn Irish immigrant community provides some comfort.
Saoirse Ronan (The Grand Budapest Hotel) plays the lovely Eilis, young and naïve in the beginning, a bit wiser and more determined by the end. Her lovely face shows all that she is not saying. She engages us and takes us with her through her journey. That such a gentle spirit would have such courage is inspiring. Tóibín, in creating Eilis, was (according to imdb.com) inspired by Jane Austen‘s “method of examining a single psychology, using an introspective, sensitive heroine, some comic characters and some romance.”
The comic elements come in around the boarding house table, where Julie Walters reigns as Mrs. Keogh, trying to manage the behavior of her female residents. Soon thereafter, a sweet young Italian-American man falls for Eilis and takes her to meet his family. Before she goes, housemates take it upon themselves to teach her how to eat spaghetti without splashing sauce on herself.
Duty calls Eilis home to Ireland. She finds the familiar comforting, and a possible future opens up for her there. Will she decide to stay or return to Brooklyn? You have to watch to find out.
A beautiful piece of art, this film received a standing ovation at the Sundance film festival. It is a joy to watch and the characters do delight. The rating of PG – 13 was given due to “a scene of sexuality and brief strong language.” The decisions Eilis makes are grown up ones, which young children won’t necessarily understand.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Brooklyn for Best Picture, Saoirse Ronan for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Adapted Screenplay. All of these nominations are well deserved. The competition for each category is stiff, however, so celebrate it being nominated.