So today I was off work sick and feeling slightly sorry for myself. With nothing else to do I started browsing through recent film releases for something to watch. I settled on Brooklyn, after hearing nothing but good things about it.

Now, still laying in bed after it's ended, I feel compelled to write up my first proper film review. So here it is!

I have been a fan of Nick Hornby's work ever since the fantastic adaptation of his book About A Boy back in 2002, and his screenplay for An Education, the 2009 film starring Carey Mulligan, is one of my favourite films of all time. I'm the first to admit that I am a sucker for a cheesy romantic film. Bridget Jones, The Notebook, Titanic - I love them all. Brooklyn does indeed fall into this category, but with all the amazing style and grace of 1950's New York mixed in with genuine emotional drama.

The film opens in Ireland where young Eilis (pronouced Ay-lish) Lacey, played brilliantly by Saoirse Ronan, leaves her hometown for the big city to take a job arranged for her by a priest in Brooklyn. After a traumatic crossing of the Atlantic, she finds herself living in Brooklyn and working at a huge new company. Will she ever be able to call America her home?

The cinematography is simple yet stunning, with the setting of New York's Manhattan skyline being overshadowed in place of the normal streets of Brooklyn and the guest house that Eilis finds herself living in. Taking us from the beaches of Coney Island to the inside of a parish dance hall, the audience really begins to feel immersed in this old way of life; living without computers and smartphones, and where the only way to contact someone from home is to send a handwritten letter that takes weeks to arrive.

Our protagonist finds herself trapped between an exciting new romance with an Italian-American plumber and the expectations of her traditional Irish family and friends back home. It is a situation almost everyone can relate to: being torn between wanting to see the world and experience wild new things without upsetting your loved ones. Mix that in with the Catholic faith and it is a recipe for disaster.
















Saoirse Ronan puts in a remarkable performance as Eilis, and manages to convey most of her emptions through her eyes alone - a remarkable feat for such a young actress. My only previous experience with her work is The Lovely Bones, but after seeing Brooklyn I am now very tempted to watch Hanna and will definitely be keeping an eye out for her future roles. Her transformation from a quiet, shy country girl to a confident, glamorous woman is remarkable, and credit must go to the design department for their fabulous costumes. I am 23 at the time of this article and found myself longing for the return of long tailored skirts and polo necks.

Julie Walters also deserves a mention for her portrayal of the strict yet kindly Mrs Kehoe who is the landlady of the guest house in Brooklyn, and provides much needed light hearted comedic relief amongst the more emotional scenes.

"I'll tell you this much: I am going to ask Father Flood to preach a sermon on the dangers of giddiness. I now see that giddiness is the eighth deadly sin. A giddy girl is every bit as evil as a slothful man, and the noise she makes is a lot worse. Now, enough."

The storyline of the film is relatively simple, an Irish girl stuck between her exciting new life in the Big Apple and her familiar life with family back in Ireland. But the writers and cast manage to keep me captivated right until the end, where Eilis makes her decision and delivers a very satisfying speech to her old boss. I won't spoil it for you but let's just say it is a mini fist pump moment!

This film celebrates everything good about what it means to be an American: freedom, glamour and confidence in abundance. As a Brit, that stereotype is often brash and annoying but Brooklyn portrays it in such a classy way that it is impossible not be inspired to go there yourself. Luckily I will actually be visiting New York for the first time this summer, and Brooklyn has really inflamed my excitement.

As someone who often daydreams about what life would be like if I lived somewhere else in the world, Brooklyn is exactly the type of film that encourages us to make that leap of faith into the unknown. Who knows what life could hold! To quote Eilis: 

"You'll feel so homesick that you'll want to die, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won't kill you... and one day the sun will come out and you'll realize that this is where your life is."

Watch the trailer here:



Rating

* * * * *

A beautiful and moving film brought to life by the cast. The Oscar nominations and BAFTA wins were thoroughly well deserved! For those who love big epic dramas on the scale of Titanic then you may be disappointed, however it is a wonderfully understated film that I believe has been very underrated! The perfect film to watch when snuggled up on a rainy day.