Scripted by bestselling author Nick Hornby (An Education) from the acclaimed novel by Colm Tóibín, the poignant and gorgeously realized Brooklyn has elicited a flurry of Oscar buzz following its premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
On the southeast coast of Ireland in the early 1950s, the soft-spoken young Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Atonement), feeling stifled by the meagre opportunities that her homeland can offer her, makes the hard decision to leave her mother and beloved older sister behind to make the solo journey across the Atlantic to a new life in Brooklyn, New York. Alone in a strange land, Eilis begins to make a place for herself with the help of a kind Irish priest (Jim Broadbent, The Lady in the Van, Le Week-End, The Iron Lady) and her stern but caring landlady (Julie Walters, One Chance), and she even catches the eye of an Italian boy named Tony (Emory Cohen, The Place Beyond the Pines). When a family tragedy compels her to return to Ireland, Eilis surprisingly discovers that the hardships that previously seemed insurmountable inhibit her no longer.
Ronan gives an outstanding performance as her Eilis transforms from a lonely young wallflower to an experienced, confident adult, and you will not soon forget Cohen as the tough but tender Tony. Expertly directed by John Crowley (Boy A), Brooklyn is a beautiful, exquisitely crafted story about family, memory, and making a new home.
“A godsend for audiences who hunger for rich emotion presented with wit, grace and not a trace of sentimentality, Brooklyn illustrates the power of restraint in dealing with poignant, impassioned material.” (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times)
“Classily and classically crafted in the best sense by director John Crowley and screenwriter Nick Hornby, this superbly acted romantic drama is set in the early 1950s and provides the feeling of being lifted into a different world altogether, so transporting is the film’s sense of time and place and social mores.” (Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter)