Brooklyn

You don’t need to have gone through the trials of relocating to relate to Brooklyn’s central conflict between an unsure new risk and the comfort of tradition.  The film does, though, hit the mark for anyone who’s moved far from where they grew up.  Certainly sentimental throughout but an honest and perfectly personal story encapsulates the desire we all have to find our true home.  

The film follows Eilis, a young woman about to make a huge change and leave her family, her history and her home in Ireland.  Set in the 1950s, her older sister has saved enough money to send Eilis to the United States to begin a new life in the land of opportunity, with help from a priest in Brooklyn.  Eilis’ transition is rocky, even from her first night aboard the ship taking her to New York until her cabin-mate gives her a few pointers and starts looking out for her.  As she starts her new job as a shop clerk and gets used to the politics of living in her boarding house, Eilis keeps her guard up and doesn’t immediately make a lot of friends in her new home.  At a church dance, she meets Tony who is instantly taken with her.  After a few rounds on the dance floor, it’s apparent he sees something special in her.  His energetic nature and her tempered spirit are immediately charming and their relationship blossoms as time goes on and Eilis finally finds her place in Brooklyn.  A family emergency abruptly brings Eilis back to Ireland where the intoxicating comforts of home, the prospect of a new romance and the security and safety of tradition tempt Eilis to stay in Ireland.  

Well aided by the backdrop of the 1950s, the story itself feels timeless and true to the experience of leaving everything you know behind.  Beautifully shot and crafted, it brings both the heartbreak of leaving home and finding your own place of belonging vividly to life. The story could easily have taken a melodramatic turn considering the emphasis on romantic relationships but balances itself with elements of family, religion and ambitious young life.  

Saoirse Ronan proves herself as a leading lady in this film.  Alternating vulnerability with resilience she carries the film with her performance.  Ronan and her love interests on either side of the Atlantic – Emory Cohen and Domhnall Gleeson (who’s having a banner year with roles in Ex Machina and The Revenant) – have an adorably easy chemistry together but just enough tension to keep you questioning what she’s going to choose.  

A testament to the perfect harmony of the production design, cinematography, acting, script and directing, the heart-wrenching themes of Brooklyn are so clear but naturally and gradually pulled into focus.  Parallel activities from both of the paths set before her contrast the choice she has ahead: from dances to dates and trips to the shore.   The greatest question posed by the film is quite clearly about the value of the place and people we call home.  Sweet traditions and familiarity of places that have seen us change, people who’ve known us through ups and downs, and ultimately belonging somewhere is undeniably wonderful.  Isn’t that what we are all looking for in the end?  On her extended trip back to Ireland Eilis finds her way into a temporary job that’s practically made for her, begins a potential relationship that could be the foundation of a marriage, and faces the gravitational pull of family.  Is it worth turning away from the siren song of forging her own way, taking an unexpected path and making her own home in the process?

A phrase that struck a chord with me personally long ago is “geography is destiny.”  Brooklyn shows this to be true to an extent – because while you might not be able to choose where you come from, you can always make the choice to change where you’re going.  An emotional and thoughtful film, Brooklyn pulls together elements of first rate performances with the charming production design to tell a great story that will stay with you long after you settle back into the comforts of your own world.