Brooklyn

I was lucky enough to get tickets to a preview of Brooklyn last week, and in a rare change from the normal routine, I went into a film knowing absolutely nothing about it.

It was such a full house, that I ended up staring up at the screen from well outside my usual comfort zone at an awkward angle, too close to the screen, and away from my girlfriend which wasn't a great start, but once the film started I was quickly caught up in the magnificence of Saoirse Ronan's performance and forgot about any of those minor gripes.

Ronan owned this film, from first to last. The storyline itself is a somewhat thin and a follows a well-trodden path but Ronan gives it such heft, and brings the intensity of her character's experience and development full force such that any deficiencies of the story seem inconsequential. It was only after leaving the screening that I really looked back at some of the plot points and realised how contrived it had been in places, but for the time I was watching it, I was simply living it through the potency of the acting. Ronan was brilliant in this, and I struggle to think of any recent performances that can match this for the confidence and sure-footedness that she showed. I think she's in with a good shout for an award or two for this role.

It's worth mentioning Julie Waters as well, who reliably entertains and impresses in all she does. Between her and Saoirse Ronan, they made sure that Brooklyn passed the 6 laugh test – and also the 6 cry test. I laughed, and cried, and laughed as I was crying, and cried as I was laughing pretty much throughout the whole film. A thoroughly enjoyable film, where the central performance takes the audience on an engrossing and emotional trip through an otherwise somewhat slight storyline.

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.

"Brooklyn" is a gentle mist of a movie, and it's one of the most romantic I've seen in a long time.

Saoirse Ronan, in a luminous performance that gets better and better the more times you see it and the longer you think about it, plays Ellis, a young Irish woman who comes to New York in the early 1950s for the opportunities to live an independent life that her small-town Irish village won't give her. She has to deal with homesickness and the guilt of leaving behind an older sister who will have to single-handedly carry the burden of caring for their mother. The movie is about the conflict between a safe, comfortable life where everything may be dull but at least familiar; and a new one that may be a little scary but has the excitement of being of one's own choosing. The film is like life, and this conflict plays out as such things do in reality, quietly and internally. This isn't a movie of big dramatic moments, because life isn't a movie. Both of Ellis's options would give her at least a decent, comfortable life. But only one will allow her to feel that she's living her own life rather than one being lived for her by others.

The movie has an old Hollywood quality to it, and it's deeply romantic. It plays like a fairy tale if you took out everything magical but left the tone and sentiment. It's a really wonderful movie.

Grade: A

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).

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!