Review of Brooklyn (2015) by Foxgrove — 13 Nov 2015

Whilst seeming epic in scope, Brooklyn is actually a rather gentle triangular love story. It deals with a young girl’s emigration from Ireland to New York in order to find a better life for herself circa 1950’s. Soairse Ronan plays the young girl beautifully using her lovely expressionless face to hide all her inner turmoil. It is an amazingly assured and understated performance made all the more impressive by the fact that she is on screen almost constantly. The film itself is like a breath of fresh air. They certainly don’t make them like this anymore but, actually, did they ever? At first glance one isn’t prepared for the astoundingly beautiful look of the film. Instead of the dark and dingy cinematography expected we are treated to brightly lush imagery, and gorgeous costumes in which all the primary colours stand out to stunning effect. The supporting cast add further dimension with great turns from Julie Walters, Brid Brennan and Domnhall Gleeson. Standing out, though, is Emory Cohen as the Italian suitor who pursues her. His exuberance and passion are palpably felt and his scenes with Ronan are hypnotic.

This is a movie without a single second of unnecessary imagery or dialogue. As perfect as a film can be. Not only is it the best of the year so far, it is also the most surprising.