Brooklyn Review

Brooklyn stars Saoirse Ronan as Eilis Lacey, a young woman from a small town who follows her sister’s plan to immigrate to Brooklyn, New York in the 1950’s so she can have a better life. Once she arrives in America she feels intense homesickness, as she is alone in a new country. However, she falls in love with an Italian man named Tony (Emory Cohen). However, terrible news forces Eilis back home, and soon she must make a choice to stay back in Ireland or her new home in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn is classic love story and a pleasant one also. Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen are the heart of the film. Their chemistry gradually grows throughout the film, and by the end you care deeply for their relationship. This is Ronan’s best performance to date as she starts out as a homesick immigrant, and transforms into a confident, self-assured woman at the end of the picture.

In addition, the production design and costume design is magnificently thorough. Every single detail is hammered out, and the viewer is immersed in the culture of the 1950’s. A minor problem I had with the film is that Ellis’ relationship with her sister is never fully fleshed out. The script could have developed that relationship more, so the film could have had more emotional weight in the third act.

Brooklyn has all the elements of the timeless love story and director John Crowley utilizes all of them. Ronan excels in her role, and her chemistry with Cohen is some of the best I have seen all year. In addition, thanks to excellent production design and impressive direction, Brooklyn is charming movie that is a throwback to the day of classic love stories.

Brooklyn - 4/5