Brooklyn is an Irish film by John Crowley, dedicated to the story of Irish emigrants leaving their homeland for America in the 1950s. An intimate film that offers a magnificent, poetic classical spectacle. A good time ahead, critically acclaimed when it was released in 2016!
The 1950s… Young Eilis Lacey (played by Saoirse Ronan) lives with her mother and sister Rose in Enniscorthy, in poverty-stricken Ireland. With no prospects on the Emerald Isle, she is helped by an Irish priest living in America, who enables her to leave Ireland and settle in Brooklyn. For Eilis, it’s the start of a colorful adventure. She discovered daily life in Brooklyn, the neighborhood’s strong Irish presence, started work as a shop assistant and studied accounting at night school.
Unhappy and homesick. But her encounter with a young Italian man changes all that, and gives her a whole new perspective on American life!
However, the sudden death of her sister Rose forces her to return to Ireland… She finds herself torn between two men, two countries and two lives…
John Crowley’s film may seem lacklustre at first glance… But the strength of the film lies in its delicate poetry and finesse. Crowley tells us the story of Irish people longing for a new life and renewal… torn between their attachment to Ireland, and their desire to leave everything behind…
Saoirse Ronan delivers a performance of great accuracy, humility and authenticity. Every moment is delivered with finesse and modesty, without pathos or melodrama.
A way of paying tribute to the difficulties faced by the Irish at the time, through a pretty, soft and colorful historical fresco.
The film plays on duality: Eilis seems to be torn by contradictory aspirations, between leaving everything for the United States and the handsome Italian she met in Brooklyn, and returning to Ireland to live alongside her mother and start a family in her native land…
The film’s ending is admittedly a little facile… even moralistic… But it’s a reflection of its time… and a real pleasure to watch!
4.30/5 (10 votes)
