With a script from celebrated English author Nick Hornby, the brilliant Boy As director John Crowley calling the shots, and a stunning cast assembled that mixes up-and-coming talent like Saoirse Ronan and Domnhall Gleeson with established British mainstays Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters, it may not come as too much of a surprise that Brooklyn is a fantastic movie. Regardless of whether you saw it coming, though, this Ireland/UK/Canada co-production is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year. Its a refreshingly little movie, dealing almost exclusively with the personal dilemmas of Ronans waif-like protagonist Eilis Lacey. This is the role that Ronan was seemingly born to play, as she's nothing short of amazing throughout. Eilis leaves Ireland for Brooklyn because she cant find work, but finds something far worse once across the Atlantic a crippling bout of homesickness. New love, were encouraged to believe, might just be the remedy. That is, until a tragic change of circumstances sees Eilis torn worse than ever between homes old and new. Crowley frames this intimate story, for the most part, using intense close-ups. Ronan conveys Eilis emotions in a way thats just subtle enough to encourage your own readings of the situation, resulting in a movie that many make take different things from. In short Brooklyn is one of the best films of the year, British or otherwise.
