I’m one of the people who never really enjoys films built around love stories. They’re usually tough to watch and are completely unrealistic. I understand they’re not geared toward me, so I can accept that they exist. However, there are some movies about this subject that aren’t bad. One of them is Brooklyn, a love stpry that doesn’t rely too much on the typical exaggerated scenes and emotions that we’re used to.
In this love story, we focus on Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish woman looking to build a prosperous future in America in the 1950’s. She already knows that her move from her mother’s home in Ireland over to Brooklyn will be a difficult one, but America offers enough promise for her to take the risk. The young lady feels the usual emotions that come with a big move, but she soon finds herself in a better place once she meets Tony (Emory Cohen), a New York-born Italian whose heart she caught the moment he saw her.
From the very beginning, you’re able to see that Brooklyn is a soft, affectionate tale about the love and growth that we experience in life. It captures that tone pretty quickly, and holds on to it through its entire run time. In order to tell this story, they rely on the conventions of life to engage us as we get to watch Eilis move through her journey. This makes it easy to understand the emotions and desires of the characters as a whole that are being shown to us.
It’s the kind of love story that both sexes can respect and enjoy as a film. That’s important to someone like me who constantly dreams of seeing this entire genre of film die a horrible death. These things aren’t realistic at all and are pure torture to have to sit through for a multitude of reasons including the fact that they’re simply boring. This however is the opposite of the usual films predicated on the circumstances of romance. If they were all made with this amount of care and quality, maybe I wouldn’t have such a negative view of the genre.
I don’t know how well this film will do from the standpoint of finances, but I do believe that those who choose to watch it will not be disappointed in anything that they see here. That’s even true for people who don’t fall in love with what’s being showcased. Its uncomplicated and straightforward nature will allow for just about anyone to connect with what’s shown to audiences. The case that it’s also a simple movie about life and love should open it up to more people if they decide to give it a chance.
Personally, I like movies done in this style because they rely on what make films great. These days, we get so much it terms of CGI and political messages, that we don’t always have the chance to enjoy film for what it’s usually supposed to be. Brooklyn and films like it are about storytelling. Even when they’re not realistic, they can still manage to speak to us in a most humane way that anyone can understand and be touched by.
Rating: PG-13
Director: John Crowley
Cast:
Saoirse Ronan
Emory Cohen
Domhnall Gleeson
Jim Broadbent
Julie Walters
Emily Bett Rickards
Brid Brennan
Jane Brennan
Fiona Glascott
Jenn Murray
Eve Macklin
Film Length: 113 minutes
Release Date: November 13, 2015
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
