BROOKLYN (John Crowley). 112 minutes. Opens Friday (November 20). See listings. Rating: NNNN
John Crowley’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s coming-of-age story about Eilis (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish woman who leaves her mother and sister behind to work in America in the 1950s, is quiet, old-fashioned yet utterly heartfelt.
In Brooklyn, living in a boarding house and working at a department store, Eilis is shy and homesick. She enrols in night classes, meets a charming Italian-American plumber named Tony (Emory Cohen, a real find) and gains confidence. Then something calls her back home.
The film, with a clear and unpretentious script by Nick Hornby, is beautifully paced, offering up lots of gentle humour (especially involving strict landlady Julie Walters) as well as a touch of harsh social realism.
Ronan, making a believable transition from mousy teen to confident young woman ready to live life on her own terms, is magnificent.
Don’t miss our cover story with Saoirse Ronan from TIFF 2015 here.
