Brooklyn

Tonight I saw Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen.

Ailish (Ronan) is a girl who feels she doesn't have a future in Ireland. With the help of her sister and the church, she gets a Visa to work in America and sets sail on the long, lonely journey.

Once she arrives in Brooklyn, New York, she doesn't immediately fit in—she's too shy at the department store where she works, she's too innocent to be part of the girls' club in her boarding house, and she's too plain to get noticed by any Irish fellows.

After a devastating spell of homesickness, a kind priest enrolls her in night school and she begins to come out of her shell, attending the local dances. It's there she meets Tony (Cohen), an Italian plumber with eyes only for her.

They fall in love easily and enjoy the bliss of mutual infatuation until tragedy strikes back in Ireland and Ailish is forced to choose between her life in the U.S. and home in County Wexford.

As someone obsessed with Irish culture, I perhaps had expectations that were too high for this film. I thought we'd see more of Ireland, get to know Ailish's family a bit better and learn why she was so set on making a new life across the pond. Instead, after the initial scenes, we only catch glimpses of her former life and become quite attached to her new one.

Though the acting is superb all around, I can't say I felt much pain for any of the characters. Though sad and bad things do happen, when we arrive at them we're still just observers; not invested.

I was pleased with the ending, so that's something to applaud, and the story undoubtedly mirrors many true-life situations of that era and those cultures. Go see it if you're in the mood for something simple, wrapped up in a nice bow.

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