Director: John Crowley
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Domnhall Gleeson and Emory Cohen
‘A Captivating Classic’
Immigration is a painful process that causes people to face stress. Several years ago, my life forever changed when my family migrated to Toronto. A stressful process, immigration caused me to face stress. I remember with nostalgia memory about the time when my family migrated to Canada. A big transition, immigration caused a great deal of tension. Saying goodbyes to friends that I had grown up to idolize brought tears to my eyes. I could not cope with the tension of a process which caused my life to face deterioration. Facing a dilemma, I couldn’t cope with the tensions of immigrating to Canada. It took years before I became well adjusted to the customs of the country where I migrated. Years later, I learnt the lesson that immigration is a commemorated process which causes deadly repercussions. Several years later, I treasure memory of the process of immigration that played a commendable role with shaping my identity.
Few movies I’ve ever seen have captured the consequence of immigration as powerfully as “Brooklyn”. Ever since its release in 2015, John Crowley’s movie has stood the test of time as a coming-of-age classic. Packed with fantastic production-design, engaging storytelling and phenomenal acting, it’s one of the best period dramas ever made. At the centre of it all is an incredible performance by Saoirse Ronan, who embodies a young Irish immigrant struggling to adjust towards life in America. Ultimately, what makes “Brooklyn” a great film is its message. The movie delivers a universal message about the consequences of immigration which would resonate with everyone. A riveting masterpiece about immigration, there are countless strong reasons why “Brooklyn” is a film that is worth watching.
Based on the beloved book, “Brooklyn” tells a story of an Irish immigrant embarking upon a journey to discover her identity. Saoirse Ronan portrays Ellis Lacey, a young Irish girl seeking to find her identity. Unable to find employment in Ireland, Ellis makes the drastic decisions to embark on a journey of immigration. Migrating to America, Ellis seeks to discover her identity in a country far away from her homeland. Ellis is initially excited by the prospect of migrating. Ellis’ happiness is elevated when she falls in love with Tony (Emory Cohen), an American with whom she is infatuated. However, Ellis’ happy life forever changes when her family experienced tragedy back in Ireland. Facing a dilemma, Ellis finds herself questioning where she truly belongs. Torn between her homeland of Ireland and America, she questions whether she will ever find a home.
John Crowley is a newcomer towards themes of immigration. Before he directed “Brooklyn”, Crowley had never made a movie about the processes of immigration. An Irish filmmaker, Crowley was renowned for producing movies capturing Irish communities. With “Brooklyn”, however, the filmmaker created his first ever literary adaptation. It was the director’s first attempt to adapt a legendary book about the process of Irish immigration, but he succeeds immensely. Using gorgeous cinematography, Crowley captures an Irish woman embarking upon an immigration journey to discover her identity. Crowley effectively uses montages capturing the hardships endured by an Irish immigrant grieving the loss of her homeland which shaped her identity. For instance, the montages enhance the letter reading scene. During this heartfelt scene, Ellis breaks down with tears after reading letters sent to her by her beloved sister after immigrating towards America. One appreciates montages which capture hardships Irish immigrants often go through. Montages are tricky techniques to employ in movies. As Greta Gerwig’s “Little Woman” suggested, montages elevate films about strong women. Nevertheless, it works in this movie. Through stunning visuals, Crowley captures hardships faced by commemorated Irish immigrants that are terrifying.
Another admirable aspect of “Brooklyn” which deserves recognition is the production design. From a technical perspective, the film is deftly made. Crowley effectively uses locations that capture the striking contrast between Ellis’ life back in Ireland and her life in America. For instance, the locations enhance the farewell scene. During this unforgettable scene, Ellis faces a dilemma when she immigrates to America missing her homeland which impacted her persona. It reminded me about my challenging experience missing the homeland that shaped my identity when I immigrated. One admires real-life locations capturing contrast between Ellis’ homeland and her immigrant life in America. Through authentic locales across Brooklyn, Crowley captures the hardships that Irish immigrants go through. Furthermore, the musical score is magnificent. Michael Brook’s music is integral to the success of the movie. Through stunning production-design, Crowley captures the commemorated lives of Irish immigrants facing a decline.
Storytelling is one of the primary reasons why “Brooklyn” is a classic about immigration that is compelling. The movie is beautifully written, and effectively uses sequences of silence to capture an Irish immigrant’s experience. Crowley’s strength as a screenwriter is his ability to capture hardship immigrants go through by silence. Throughout the movie, Ellis adopts an attitude of silence being unable to talk after she has immigrated. One admires scenes of silence capturing tense turmoil faced by Irish immigrants. For instance, silence elevates the death scene. During this heartbreaking scene, Ellis adopts an attitude of silence refusing to talk after she discovers her sister in Ireland has died. One appreciates sequences of silence capturing the hardships Irish immigrants go through. Through these subtle sequences of silence, Crowley paints an authentic portrait of the Irish immigration experience. Minimal dialogue is a complicated technique to utilize in movies. As Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” demonstrated, sequences of silence enhance movies about teenage girls. Nevertheless, it works in this movie. Through an exceptional screenplay, Crowley captures hardships experienced by Irish immigrants facing a painful price to pay.
One appreciates amazing performances.
Saoirse Ronan delivers one of her best career performances as Ellis Lacey. Ronan achieved appreciation for playing rebellious adolescent girls in coming-of-age films. With “Brooklyn”, however, she took on her most emotional role. It isn’t simple to portray the personality of an Irish immigrant that faces adversity when she immigrates countries, but Ronan succeeds. This is the actress unlike you’ve ever seen her before: intense, charismatic and emotional in her most vulnerable role. It’s a role that gave the actress the opportunity to showcase emotional vulnerability she hadn’t shown in her career before. With mesmerizing expressions, she captures the angst, bravery and resentment of an Irish immigrant seeking to find a home in America. It’s a phenomenal performance from one of the best actresses working in Hollywood today.
While the film is mainly a stunning showcase for Ronan, the supporting cast is also superb and worthy of appreciation. Emory Cohen is excellent, capturing affection of an American man finding happiness when he falls madly in love with an Irish woman. Domnhall Gleeson is fantastic, bringing charisma to an Irish man facing a dilemma when he falls in love with a girl living in America. Lastly, Fiona Glascott is worthy of appreciation. As Ellis’ doomed sister, she brings heartbreaking emotions towards the film.
Finally, “Brooklyn” would earn appreciation of everyone for capturing process of immigration. Unlike most book adaptations, the film tackles strong themes which everyone would relate to. The film covers timely themes of adolescence, identities and marriage which would resonate with everyone. Viewers aren’t required to be of Irish descent to appreciate it. It delivers a bold message about the challenges of immigration that would resonate with everyone. Therefore, “Brooklyn” is one of those rare films everyone would adore.
Fans of Saoirse Ronan will definitely recognize Brooklyn and so will movie-goers seeking heartbreaking entertainment. A fantastic adaptation of a beloved Irish book, it captures the hardships of immigration that are tragic.
Nearly 20 years following the publication of a groundbreaking book about Irish women leaving behind homelands embarking on journeys of immigration to Brooklyn that are frightening, it’s a riveting reminder about an actress that has gained a huge fan following earning worldwide recognition for her abilities to portray relatable characters whose engaging movies are definitely without a doubt worth celebrating.
5/5 stars
The Film Buff 