Film No. 81 (2015) Brooklyn November 14th.

Film No. 81 (2015) November 14th. 1:00 PM THE WINDSOR Nedlands. 

 

"Home sickness is like most other sicknesses, it'll pass." (Jim Broadbent's character Father Flood could not be more right with this pertinent observation to Eilis).

                    

                                                        

 

Part way through watching this heartfelt period drama I thought I was caught up in another immaculate Spielberg film . It has all the hallmarks. Brilliant costume and set design, perfect casting choices, important placings of the US flag in specific scenes and the odd scene which is fractionally too convenient to labour a point. 

 

Perhaps it's because Spielberg is the master of capturing an era in his films and that is precisely what director John Crowley has done as he combines with writer Nick Hornby (Fever Pitch and High Fidelity) to bring to life Colm Toibin's novel of the same name. It's an old fashioned film, with old fashioned characters depicting innocence, coming of age and raw love on a couple of fronts.

 

Eilis (Saoise Ronan) lives a quiet, uncomplicated life in her small Irish village. Her older sister Rose adores her to the point where she insists Eilis travels to New York to take on a life she is unable to experience. We all adopt Eilis from this point on, sailing the Atlantic, feeling her homesickness then chaperoning her through her first love. The charm of the film wraps itself around us like our favourite doona. Every character shines as they contribute in small ways to our newly adopted Irish rose.

 

 Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent, a pair of British icons of stage and screen are brilliantly cast as a landlady and priest respectively. Walters' meal table quips to her "adopted" daughters gives Brooklyn that original spark which never allows the screenplay to slip into cliche. Then there is the twist, a romantic twist which is cleverly alluded to in the trailer. Actually, it was a pleasure to see a film which lived up to its advertorial preludes. Brooklyn will be loved by many.  9GUMS.