Last
year I attended Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival and I watched a
riveting dramatic movie titled TheDisappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them. As annual film festivals are known to
do, Cinéfest took place again this year and I went to go see another movie. It
looks like I’ve got a new tradition on my hands and that’s fine by me because
I’ve enjoyed myself both times. If nothing else, seeing a movie in this kind of
environment, where dramatic stories tend to dominate and international films
abound, I know to expect something different from your average Hollywood movie.
If I’m lucky, I’ll even get to see a movie with an actual story and that’s very
refreshing when you’re used to being bombarded by shit blowing up, showy yet
poorly crafted special effects, and more guns and ammo than Rambo knows what to
do with. I think I got lucky again this year when my wife and I went to go see Brooklyn.
Brooklyn, an Irish-American-Canadian production
directed by John Crowley, tells the story of Eilis Lacey (a confident Saoirse
Ronan in the leading role), an Irish immigrant during the early 1950s. The
movie, based on the novel of the same name by Irish author Colm Tóibín,
chronicles Ms. Lacey’s departure to America at the behest of her sister who
wishes a better life for her. During her stay in Brooklyn as well as her return
to her home country, Eilis establishes a new life for herself and finds
romantic attachment. The movie’s climax sees her making a decision between two
countries and two men.
It’s a
pretty conventional story when summarized this way but it’s skilfully told and
the cast commits to their parts in a way that helps give the movie an air of genuine
drama. This allowed me to sit back comfortably and let the characters
passionately come to life. That was the best part of the movie for me, seeing
the characters fleshed out over the movie’s running time. Eilis is a loveable
and capable young lady and we see her character grow into a woman of beauty and
inner strength. Watching her struggle to adapt to her new country and build a
new life for herself is sure to strike a chord with many people as we could
probably all identify a moment in our lives where everything changed as a new
direction was taken. That kind of moment presents itself a few times for Eilis
and each time she finds the strength or the help of others to continue in the
right direction.
Many
other characters are quite delightful too. The eager-to-impress Tony (Emory Cohen), trying
his best to woo his new fond love, or Father Flood (Jim Broadbent) being
supportive and fatherly when needed best. Domhnall Gleeson portrays a simple
man, leading a simple life, offering Eilis with different kind of future back
in Ireland. He’s charming but in a way that is so bland, his performance offers
Eilis the promise of a comfortable life without any surprises or excitement.
The characters back in Brooklyn tend to have more life and energy to them. Every
woman sitting at the table during the boarding house dinner scenes were a
delight and those scenes stand out with their humour and heart, adding a needed
contrasts against the more emotional scenes in other parts of the movie.
Being a
period drama, the film is also given added authenticity with the set dressings,
1950s costumes and hair styles, and a few more historical flourishes that older
audience members are sure to recognize and other audience members sure to enjoy.
It’s actually quite a fantastic to see a movie like this on the big screen. The
texture in the clothing and the set decorations continuously captured my
attention without being distracted. It really added a whole other dimension to
the movie. It also got me to thinking just how durable clothes were back then.
Some of the historical details are actually quite small, such as Eilis’s
clip-on earrings easily visible while during a late-movie close up. Ear
piercings were uncommon back then and it’s nice to see the film crew use this
level of detail to embellish the movie.
The real
joy of this movie however is seeing Eilis come to terms with her struggles and
making difficult choices. At its core, it’s not about choosing a country over
another or choosing one man over another. Her choice was to pick between a life
desired and planned for her by other people or to pick a life that she started
to build on her own. Not all of the choices were uniquely her own, but she was
presented with opportunities and she took advantage of them in a way that was
decisive and appreciative of the help she received. The film’s message, hidden
under a few layers of hastily established romance, is to live your life as you
choose. When you’re an active member in deciding the direction of your life
it’s easier for you to find happiness. What is easy often isn’t worthwhile, and
you can’t find lasting happiness trying to please other people over without any
consideration for yourself.
Speaking
of things that are easy, the movie did a poor job of showing how difficult it
was for Eilis to journey to the United States and start a new life. Her biggest
struggles, as depicted on the screen, were seasickness and homesickness. While
homesickness could be debilitating in such a scenario, she already had enough
structure in her life to help ease her out of it. Before even setting foot on
American shores she had a job lined up, a room in a boarding house, and she was
surrounded by other Irish immigrants effectively giving her some form of
familiar social structure. I’m not suggesting that what she did was easy, only
that the movie didn’t do much to show just how incredibly difficult it is to
pack up your life and head towards the unknown.
While
the film’s plotting leaves a bit to be desired (everything feels a little
rushed), the production quality and the skills of the actors made Brooklyn a very enjoyable movie. I would
have liked it more if it had a bit more scope to it but then that likely would
have resulted in a different movie. It’s a personal story and as such it
focuses on its main character. It did so to good effect as Saoirse Ronan
convincingly portrayed the progression of the wide eyed fright of a young woman
in a new world as well as the confident working woman of Brooklyn, New York. I
would have like for her to have more dialogue but even with all of her quieter,
near-silent scenes, she manages to use facial expressions to convey a lot of
emotional turmoil. It’s a mature performance by a very young actress and probably
the film’s highlight. It isn’t showy performance; rather it’s subtle and
quietly executed to deliver genuine emotion. Fans of period dramas are sure to
enjoy it as well as any moviegoer who loves a good Irish accent.
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