Film Review - Brooklyn

Today I talk about Brooklyn, John Crowley's adaptation of Colm Tóibín's novel of a young Irishwoman who emigrates to New York in the 1950s. While this isn't the sort of film I would normally seek out, I still thoroughly enjoyed it for the sheer quality in just about every respect: acting, writing, cinematography, music, etc. I haven't read Tóibín's book, so I can't judge it as an adaptation, but as a film, Brooklyn is well worth the ticket price.

Unsurprisingly, a lot of this comes down to its lead. Saoirse Ronan is brilliant in the lead role, showing her versatility in playing a character who starts off as timid and nervous of starting a life in the New World, and by the end has become a confident woman who suddenly finds herself stifled in her hometown of Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. Ronan's down-to-earth charm makes Eilis very easy to root for, and she shows her knack for conveying sadness, fear and joy with the subtlest of expressions.

The rest of the cast are equally impressive. Emory Cohen plays Tony Fiorello, an Italian-American plumber who falls for Eilis. His bashful “aw-shucks” demeanour makes it impossible not to sympathise with him as he tries to woo her. Julie Walters makes a considerable impression, despite her scant screentime, as the most unashamedly stereotypical Irish mammy this side of Mrs Brown. Her no-nonsense attitude towards her female tenants not only makes for great comic relief, but also makes her softer moments with Eilis all the more effective. The whole cast is superb, but these three performances were my favourites.

It isn't just casting that makes the film, though. Special mention has to go to the cinematography, which is practically a character in itself. Yves Bélanger contrasts the Enniscorthy and New York environments, by making the former grey and dreary while the other becomes a riot of colour. While this can come across as a little blatant in terms of highlighting Eilis's dilemma (the familiar yet stifling, versus the grand and unexpected) it still makes for a more dynamic viewing experience.

The scenes on the boat also play into this. When Eilis first boards, we focus on her ordeal below decks. She has to put up with cramped quarters, unfriendly neighbours and seasickness. The film doesn't hold back on the latter, as Eilis is forced to defecate in a mop bucket after being locked out of the toilet. These scenes are contrasted with those up on deck: Eilis's roommate (Eva Birthistle) starts off cold when they meet below deck, but on deck she becomes more compassionate and teaches Eilis how to act when she comes to customs. The cinematography reflects this with wide open shots of the sea, representing the endless possibilities of the New World.

There is one part of the film that didn't work so well for me, however. This is the hinted-at love triangle between Eilis, Tony and Jim Farrell (Domhnall Gleeson) a rugby student from Enniscorthy. Maybe it's just my ignorance of the source material, but I found myself a bit confused as to what the story was alluding to at this point. Was there meant to be a spark between Eilis and Jim? Or was that just the parochial townspeople trying to lure Eilis to come back and settle down?

It's not that Ronan and Gleeson's performances were lacking, but this part of the film felt a little rushed and so, underdeveloped. If they were trying to hint at a romance, more time should have been dedicated to it.

The ending also left me a little confused. The film seemed to be hinting that Eilis was planning to break up with Tony, but the film ends with her going back to him and supposedly, the two live happily ever after from this point. This clashes with what we see earlier in the film: Eilis takes a while to return Tony's “I love you”, she needs to be persuaded to marry him, and most crucially of all, she holds off on reading his letters. She finally does read them, but if she were in love with him, wouldn't she have done so instantly, instead of keeping them in a drawer?

The impression I got from the ending was that Eilis went back to Tony to spite the village gossip (Brid Brennan), not necessarily because she loved him. That's why the closing scene between Eilis and Tony felt hollow, which is a shame as the film before this had felt much more genuine. Again, perhaps the novel explains this better. Perhaps it was the pacing that made this feel artificial – the third act of the film certainly feels more rushed than the first two, what with Eilis's rapidly developing relationship with Jim, and her even quicker reconciliation with Tony.

These niggles aside, I would still highly recommend Brooklyn. It's not the sort of film that will set the world on fire; it's just a nice, simple story told very, very well.