Brooklyn - Eine Liebe zwischen zwei Welten

When the older generation talk about them "not making films like that anymore", this should be the film they go and see. This is a film that will appeal greatly to the "Marigold Hotel" set, and from the audience mix in the well-attended Tuesday night screening I attended, that message is getting out there.

Saoirse Ronan plays Eilis, a teenage girl growing up in Ireland's County Wexford with her older sister and widowed mother in the early 1950's. Short on opportunities for a decent life, she is sponsored into a new city and a new job by Father Flood (Jim Broadbent), a friend in the New York clergy. Desperately homesick, we follow her trials and tribulations as she eventually settles into her new life through the love of a good (albeit sometimes un-favourably smelling) young man (an impressive Emory Cohen). Torn between her family duty at home in Ireland, where lurks another beau in the form of Domhnall Gleeson ("Ex Machina", "About Time"), Eilis is caught in a love triangle with a 5,000 km hypotenuse.

Ronan is mesmeric in the role of Eilis. Most famous for her dramatic role in the much-underrated adventure film "Hanna", and more recently in last year's superb "Grand Budapest Hotel", here she has to carry a demanding starring role and she does so with great skill.

The supporting cast are also excellent, with Jane Brennan in particular turning in a heartbreaking performance as Eilis's mother (albeit, I felt, in one of the more two-dimensionally scripted roles in the film). Also of particular note is national treasure Julie Walters, hilarious as the landlady Mrs Kehoe coming out with some cracking dialogue, and Jenn Murray (set to appear in Potter spin-off "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them") as the kookie and man-hungry new guest-house arrival who is a sheer comic delight to watch.

The script is by Nick Hornby ("About a Boy"), based on the novel by Colm Tóibín, and zips along pleasantly with only the occasional missed step (there was one line in particular that reeked of cheese).

The director is John Crowley, but credit should also go to the technical team that makes the US scenes just glow with nostalgia. The cinematography of Yves Bélanger ("Wild", "Dallas Buyers Club") is exquisite, especially in the more romantic scenes with Ronan wearing rich red costumes (by Odile Dicks-Mireaux). And the set decoration and special effects make scenes such as the ones at Coney Island very effective without having to break a (presumably) limited budget. All in all, this is a film that, if there is any justice in the world, I would love to see feature prominently in the Oscar art categories.

With some bittersweet twists and beautifully shot, this is a fill-em (to use the Irish vernacular) that should appeal to a broad audience looking for a romantic story well told on the big screen. By the way, imho the trailer gives too much of the plot away so I would recommend avoiding.

(A graphical version of this review is available at bob-the-movie- man.com).

Saiorse Ronan needs to be in more movies. She's an absolute delight, whatever she's in. Brooklyn is Ronan's finest 111 minutes to date. All the anguish, all the emotion she portrays, is seen through her eyes. Eilis (Ronan), is torn between two worlds: Ireland and America, missing her family back home and starting afresh halfway across the world in Brooklyn, New York. Events that occur only make it harder for Eilis. Emory Cohen's Tony sparks confidence in our out-of-sorts protagonist. Ronan's acting is so brazenly from the heart that I can't help but feel everything she feels, even during her hardest times. Special mention goes to Julie Walters who oversees the girls in the boarding house that Eilis resides. Brooklyn is an extraordinary watch due to class acting from all round. It's funny, clever and charming.

Sweet little love story of an Irish lass who comes to America circa 1950. She leaves her home in Enniscorthy (Co. Wexford) and comes to seek fame and fortune - and maybe a 'fella' - in Brooklyn. Subsequent events draw her back to Enniscorthy, and then back to Brooklyn. In between we come to know Eilis (pronounced Ailish) Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) quite well because it is her picture, and she is in nearly every scene. She changes from a homesick immigrant to a self-assured woman in the course of the picture, and Ronan's characterization is terrific.

Along the way she meets Tony Fiorello, played by Emory Cohen in a role apparently underplayed so as not to upstage the main character. He comes from a big Italian family but is not a stereotypical Italian; he is barely audible and very subdued. Perhaps the best and most humorous scenes take place at dinnertime in Mrs. Kehoe's boarding house for Irish immigrant girls. Played by Julie Walters, she rides herd on her catty boarders and uses religious metaphors to put them in their place.

"Brooklyn" is a movie for grown-ups, an independent film in a sea of Hollywood schlock. It is a likable movie with a lot of heart and solid acting down to the smallest role. It is not a sprawling saga but a nice little movie, and I have only sketched a few instances. Many reviewers summarize the whole picture, but the overall tenor of the picture gives the moviegoer a rooting interest and a sense of the resiliency of the human spirit, as well as an illustration of the innate decency and goodness of Eilis Lacey.

P.S. Those hoping to see scenes of Brooklyn neighborhoods will be disappointed; the picture was filmed in Canada and Ireland.

Based on Colm Tóibín's novel of the same name, 'Brooklyn' is A Beautiful, Beautiful Film! A heartwarming tale about Love, Loss & Relationships. And a Knock-Out Performance by Saoirse Ronan is always welcome.

'Brooklyn' Synopsis: An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.

'Brooklyn' is a simple film, told magnificently. Its superior film in all respects. Nick Hornby's Adapted Screenplay captures the Protagonist's coming-of-age tale, with dignity & pathos. I was arrested by the flow of the narrative. John Crowley's Direction is excellent. Cinematography & Editing are sharp, while the Art & Costume Design are fabulous. Michael Brook's Score works.

Performance-Wise: Saoirse Ronan is in great form. The talented actress delivers a Knock-Out Performance as the naive & lovable protagonist. This is the kind of performance awards were invented for. Giving her terrific support are Emory Cohen & Domhnall Gleeson, who enact the men in her lives, proficiently. The Ever-Compelling Jim Broadbent shines in a brief role.

On the whole, 'Brooklyn' is a true winner. Don't miss it!

Looming skyscrapers in a distant land, the kindness of strangers, love and hope for a better life; such things open the eyes of Eilis, a smart and insular immigrant to 1950s Brooklyn, to opportunities she did not have in the Irish countryside. While at first lonely and homesick in this new cityscape, Eilis is soon enthralled with the bright possibilities, encouraged by all she is learning and charmed by the people she meets. She breaks free from her shell and shines in this radiant, unfamiliar realm. Returning to Ireland for what she hopes is a brief stay, Eilis both sees through and is seen in a luminous and different light. Both worlds, New York and her Irish home, now pull the new and improved Eilis in different directions.

Saoirse Ronan is spectacular in her performance as Eilis. She really makes this Sundance hit come alive. It is comforting, as always, to see a film that does not depend on explosions, computer graphics and alien contagions to entertain. There is a deeper pleasure here, one that pulls at mind, spirit, body and heart together. Visuals, story, organization, acting, intriguing characters and more, all come together well.