Brooklyn

Brooklyn is my home town and this film has a great buzz, so I was excited to see it.  It's a good movie, but I didn't like it nearly as much as most of the critics did. Eilis Lacey (Saorise Ronan) is a young Irish woman living in the early 1950's, but her chances for employment and romance are poor in Ireland.  A priest living in Brooklyn, who is a family friend, arranges for Eilis' immigration to the United States.  The film sensitively depicts her anxiety about the trip, sadness about leaving home, the loneliness she feels while on the trip and upon arrival in Brooklyn, the challenges of adapting to a new culture and job, etc. Eilis is smart and personable, so she does well at her job and soon meets a nice and ambitious young man, Tony (Emory Cohen). She is thriving, but a family tragedy requires that she return home where, suddenly, an excellent job is now available and a terrific young man, Jim (Domnhall Gleeson), is seriously smitten with her. Eilis must chose between her new life in Brooklyn and her newly much-improved prospects in Ireland. I enjoyed the film and the acting is excellent, but the movie takes itself too seriously with obtrusive lighting, a schmaltzy score, and a slow pace. It doesn't need the BS, so I would wait to rent it.