REVIEW: BROOKLYN

Without its more racy bits, Brooklyn is a film that could have been made decades ago, even as far back as the '50's. It's got an absolutely timeless feel to it, which makes it the even more surprising that it was adapted from a moderately recent novel from 2009. So how does John Crowley's film make you feel like you're watching a story that could be updated today with little change besides clothes and era? It's its evergreen material of youth vs. love, and all the entanglements that eternal struggle weaves into its many victims' lives.

Saoirse (Sair-sha. It's Sair-sha! What a lovely Irish name, but I'm so desperate just to call you Sarah) Ronan carries this entire thing on her back, no matter how wonderful and strong the supporting cast around her is. It's not her fault, it's the nature of the story. We're not going to care who she picks romantically if we're not invested in her. We're not going to feel as sad if something devastating happens to her. Ms. Ronan had a monumental task here (she's also said that she felt like all of Ireland was watching her because of how significant the book was there) and accomplished so much. The movie dips into melodrama at times, and her motivation for something that had me sort of hating her for a few minutes went unexplained, but those are my only large beefs. Her Eilis (pronounced Aye-lish, this poor girl can't seem to move away from difficult names) is warm, sentimental and full of dignity and decision. Though technically she has to choose between two boys (I know I know, what movie doesn't?) what makes this different is that it doesn't define her. She's not like her other boarding room mates who go to the Irish dances in Brooklyn to find a man. She just wants to live life the best she can.

And the decision isn't clean cut. We open the film with her working mundanely at a bakery, with one of the year's most unpleasant, passive-agressive characters: Miss Kelly. She's a stuffy, rude old broad that represents everything Eilis can't stand about her present situation: more of the same, day in and out. Eilis' sister Rose arranges for her to immigrate to the United States. (*cue the Irish women shaming Eilis with guilt). There she meets Tony (Emory Cohen), genuinely one of the nicest characters I've seen in the movies in a long time. This doesn't mean he's a static, perfect character: he might have unrealistic dreams and too big heart. But he sure is a charming fellow. The movie, thanks to Nick Hornby's excellent screenplay that cuts so much fat out that could've been present in an epic-feeling tale like this, goes by in a jiffy, and in that jiffy you get to know so much about the characters, even if they aren't onscreen very long. Maybe that's why I was pushing for Eilis to end up with Tony. Her beau she meets in Ireland, Jim, is equally calm and nice to be around. It was great seeing the movie not giving you an easy choice, like making Jim a recovering alcoholic, or having Tony expose a little bit of a temper. They're just really nice guys. As Eilis' mother says, "they'd have to be if [she] chose them."

I just came out of a class where we read novels that tackled with the question of American identity. What does it mean to live in America...to call yourself American? Brooklyn balances those more obvious questions, but also asks you this: what does it mean to be in love? To support your family: what do you owe them vs, what do you owe yourself? Identity is surely Brooklyn's largest theme, and dissecting it and seeing this wonderful story unfold was such a blast in an era of movies where you have to have a big twist or special effects or big names to make you relevant. You just need a good story at the heart of it all, and Brooklyn won me over, making it one of 2015's best films.

Rating: 3.5/4 stars