Brooklyn (2015)

25 June 2016

Last weekend, Jacob and I sat down to watch Brooklyn. I think I had heard of it before when it came out. And from the little I read about it, I knew it was acclaimed. Let's get into it.

Brooklyn is a British production, so you just know the cast is going to be awesome. Saoirse Ronan was absolutely mindblowing. She was perfectly cast as Eilis, bringing Eilis's character arc to life with great range and subtlety. And Saoirse is very beautiful, lusty, and attractive. I liked Emory Cohen as Tony. I kept waiting for him to be a jerk, but he was perfect, which is part of the story's charm.

The story was so good and simple: Eilis has to make her choice between two idealized worlds, which creates a great deal of suspense. I don't remember the last time I was as invested in a character as I was with Eilis. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to see which way her heart would go. I suspect Brooklyn is a movie that can't be unseen. I don't know how rewatchable it is, but I don't think it will have the same impact that it had on the first viewing.

Also good were the production values; Brooklyn is a beautiful film. The costumes were gorgeous. The men looked like men and the women were so sexy and classy. The locations looked good as well. And I like that vivid British look of the film that brought the costumes and locales to life while also covering up the CGI that must be here and there in the film.

If Brooklyn has one flaw, though a good flaw to have, it's that just about every character in the movie is very well drawn with interesting things to say and do. But not everyone is given a resolution; they are left behind by Eilis's plot.

Overall, Brooklyn is a perfect little love story with great acting, great characters, and a great look. The end was tied up with a neat bow, but I still wanted more.