Capsule Film Review: Brooklyn (2015)

Universal human tendency to look at the past through rose-tinted glass is one of the main themes of Brooklyn, 2015 film directed by John Crowley. Based on the novel by Colm Toibin, the plot is set in 1950s and begins in Ireland, backward impoverished island decades away from becoming Celtic Tiger. Protagonist, played by Saorsie Ronan, is Ellis Lacey, young woman who, like so many of her countrymen, takes the trip across the Atlantic and begins new life in New York. There she would suffer from homesickness before she finds charming young Italian American (played by Emory Cohen) and success in her new career; but fate brings her again to Ireland where she is suddenly envied upon, desired and tempted to permanently return. Made with small budget, Brooklyn brings almost utopian vision of 1950s as time when all dreams seemed possible; the film lacks villains and, despite an occassional heartbreak, all of protagonist’s problems look solvable. Despite seemingly insufficient content, Brooklyn might impress viewers with excellent form and superb acting, mainly thanks to Ronan who, for the first time in her career, plays character with her own native Irish accent.

RATING: 8/10