Review: Beautifully Crafted BROOKLYN Shines

As the credits rolled and the lights came up on BROOKLYN, a woman's voice cut through the quiet murmurs of the exiting crowd.

"How romantic!"

The swooning woman to the left and three rows down from me is right -- BROOKLYN is romantic. In fact, BROOKLYN has the sensibility of a fairytale, a modern fairytale set in 1950s New York where instead of evil stepmothers proffering poisoned apples, you get the looming threat of manipulation and complacency, the suffocating trap of tradition. And instead of a fairy godmother granting wishes, there's a tentative heroine, ultimately willing to take a risk (and a night class).

What I'm trying to say is, BROOKLYN is probably the year's most sophisticated chick flick. And no, that's not a knock -- it's a compliment.

BROOKLYN, based on the novel of the same name by Colm Tóibín, tells the story Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish woman living with her mother and sister in County Wexford. Job prospects are limited (aside from a few hours once a week in a shop run by a horrid woman) and things don't look any more promising in the romance department. With a push from her sister Rose (Fiona Glascott), Eilis sets sail for America, the land of opportunity. She's set up at a boarding house run by a Mrs. Kehoe (Julie Walters) and has a job lined up at an upscale department store. Homesickness, however, is almost her undoing.

Luckily, Father Flood (Jim Broadbent), her sponsor for the move, steps in and helps her adjust to life in Brooklyn. He enrolls her in a night class for bookkeeping, she begins to step out and into the community more, and then she meets a boy, Tony (Emory Cohen). It's not long before she finds herself falling in love. But when a sudden tragedy demands her return to Ireland, Eilis is forced to answer a tough question about what (and where) home really is.

Directed by John Crowley, BROOKLYN is a beautifully crafted, cohesive film. Though subtle, it is richly layered. The incredibly contained story, scripted by Nick Hornby, is circular, reminding us in multiple places and ways that Eilis' story (both as an immigrant story and a coming of age story) is not unique.

Saoirse Ronan portrays Eilis as passive and aloof, but a woman who still comes into herself, slowly exuding a quiet confidence and new assertiveness that is most apparent in her return to County Wexford. Juxtaposed with County Wexford, a place where she used to fit, to blend, but no longer does, she appears lighter and brighter. It's a trajectory that begins the moment she steps on the boat to head to America. Amidst the other passengers, she stands out in a deep forest green coat in a sea of drab colors. And upon her return, she stands out in pinks and baby blues and sunglasses. Ronan has an immensely expressive face, and Crowley takes advantage with a number of close-ups. Get ready to become well acquainted with Ronan's pupils.

Both Jane Brennan and Fiona Glascott turn in incredibly moving performances. Brennan successfully keeps Mary, Eilis' mother, from appearing cold, instead giving her the appearance of a woman doing what she can to keep it together in the face of a sadness that threatens to overwhelm her. Rose is the impetus for Eilis leaving, and Glascott's sorrow is perfectly bittersweet. One of the film's most resonant scenes features Rose at the dinner table, alone now with her mother. Without much fanfare, a single tear slips down Rose's cheek, one she quickly covers with a raised teacup. It's heartbreaking in its simplicity, and incredibly effective.

In Brooklyn, Eilis is supported by her sponsor, Father Flood; Mrs. Kehoe at the boarding house; and her manager at Bartocci's, Miss Fortini. Broadbent, as Father Flood, is a benevolent, warm (and too brief) presence in the film. Julie Walters is a delight. Her interactions with Eilis and the rest of her boarders provide some of the film's lightest moments and biggest laughs. She is very much the exasperated surrogate mother -- part sounding board, part referee, and part support system. As Miss Fortini, Jessica Paré appears severe, well-coiffed and polished -- seemingly the opposite of Eilis. But looks can be deceiving.

Then there are Eilis' love interests. First Tony, played by Cohen, an Italian-American Brooklynite with a natural swagger and slow-spreading smile. And back in County Wexford, it's Jim, played by Domnhall Gleeson. Jim, in a reversal of sorts, is very much like Eilis was early in the film, a person itching to open up to someone who wants to listen. Both, in their own ways, seem too good to be true, but they come to embody the very things Eilis must ultimately choose between.

BROOKLYN, starring Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters, is rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality and brief strong language.

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