Lent Reviews Week 5: Brooklyn (2015)

While this isn't exactly a religious movie it does have some moral and religious themes in it so...

     Brooklyn was released in 2015. It is directed by John Crowley with a screenplay by Nick Hornby, based on the book by Colm Tóibín. It takes place in 1951 and follows Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish woman who comes to America seeking a better life.

     Crowley's film is filled with themes about the importance of family, community and human connection in one's life. When she first travels to New York, Eilis feels terribly homesick. The hustle and bustle of the city overwhelms her and she misses her family back in Ireland, especially her sister Rose (Fiona Glascott). She has a talk with Father Flood (Jim Broadbent), the Irish priest who arranged for her to come to America and get a job. He tells her that "Homesickness is like most sicknesses. It will make you feel wretched, and then it will move on to somebody else." For her first Christmas in New York she volunteers to help at Father Flood's soup kitchen, a task the other girls from her boarding house scoff at, but one which she finds comforting, as it reminds her of home. It's only when she meets Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen) that she really starts to feel at home in Brooklyn. Tony is a kind-hearted, decent, down-to-earth guy. A second generation Italian American, he works as a plumber and loves the Brooklyn Dodgers.

     Eventually, Eilis and Tony fall in love but, just when she is starting to build a new life for herself, Eilis learns that her sister has died. Tony, afraid of losing her, insists that they get married in secret before she returns to Ireland for the funeral. But, when she arrives there, Eilis finds herself drawn back into her old life. The people of the town treat her like a returning daughter. She is offered her sister's old bookkeeping job, on a temporary basis and her best friend Nancy (Eileen O'Higgins) invites Eilis to her wedding, which is a week after her planned return to Brooklyn. She begins to develop feeling for Jim Farrel (Domhnall Gleeson), a young man who lives in her hometown. She feels the pull of a supporting community and of a simple, more pastoral life compared to the hustle and bustle of the city. Ultimately she must choose between her life in Ireland, or the new one she's built for herself in Brooklyn.

     In the end she decides to return to her new husband in Brooklyn. Going back to Ireland has given her a sense of closure about her sister's death and allowed her to say goodbye to her family and her homeland in a more cathartic way. Eilis had decided not to tell her family about her new husband. One has to wonder if part of her always wanted to stay in Ireland. She shows real conviction by deciding to go back to America and informs her mother of her recent marriage before she leaves. On the return journey, she meets another Irish immigrant, who is uneasy about the prospects of her new life. Eilis offers her advice, telling her, "you will catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past, someone who's only yours. And you'll realise that this is where your life is."

     For Catholic viewers there may be potential concerns about the film's treatment of sexuality. Eilis and Tony sleep together before they're married. And, after they're married, she considers staying in Ireland and leaving him behind. While this is a potential red flag, especially for families there are some mitigating circumstances. For one thing, they only do it once and this is the night before their married. For another, Eilis and Tony are portrayed as imperfect individuals trying to find their way, not necessarily as role models. They are real, flesh and blood people and people make mistakes. In some ways this relates to the film's portrayal of faith.

     The characters in Brooklyn treat faith in a matter-of-fact way. For Irish and Italian Americans in the 1950's, Catholicism was an essential part of their lives, one most probably took for granted, and the film portrays this really well. At the boarding house where Eilis stays the landlady leads the four girls there in grace before they eat. When Father Flood informs her of Rose's death she expresses anguish, saying she'll never see her sister again, to this he says, "You know that I think you will and she will be watching over you, every day, for the rest of your life." Faith, community and family are all sources of strength and support for the characters in the film. There is one scene in particular, where Eilis meets Tony's family for the first time, that surprised me with its sense of earnestness.

     Brooklyn is a remarkably quiet and restrained film. This refreshingly down-to-earth tone is due to Nick Hornby's subtle, nuanced script, John Crowley's sensitive direction and to the naturalistic performances from Saoirse Ronan and the rest of the cast. Cinematography Yves Bélanger imbues the film with a bright, warm color pallet. This, along with Michael Brook's soothing score, give the film a calm, inviting feel. Amid all the big loud blockbusters and searing dramas currently inhabiting the megaplex, watching a film like Brooklyn is almost therapeutic.

Score: 9/10