The Film

Brooklyn is a 2016 British-Irish-Canadian romantic drama directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby, based on Colm Tóibín's novel of the same name. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, and Julie Walters.

Set in 1951 and 1952, the film tells the story of a young Irish woman's immigration to Brooklyn. Eilis Lacey is a young woman from Enniscorthy, a small town in southeast Ireland. Her older sister, Rose, has arranged for her to go to the United States to find a better future. Although part of the Irish community in New York, Eilis is still homesick. She meets Tony, from an Italian family, who is quickly interested in her and becomes her boyfriend. With these developments, Eilis begins to feel more comfortable in New York. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within them for her.

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Cinema Trailer

Filming

Principal photography began on 1st April 2014 in Ireland, and continued for three weeks at different locations including Enniscorthy, Wexford, and Dublin. After finishing in Ireland, filming then moved to Montreal, Quebec for a further four weeks. Two days were spent shooting in New York at Coney Island.

Release

Brooklyn premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on 26th January 2015. After it premiered, a bidding war began between The Weinstein Company, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Focus Features. Fox Searchlight Pictures prevailed, acquiring the distribution rights for the US. and other multiple territories for $9 million. The deal was one of the biggest to ever come out of Sundance.

The film was selected to be shown in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It opened in a limited release in the United States on 4th November 2015, before opening in a wide release on 25th November 2015.

Critical Response

Brooklyn received a rapturous standing ovation at its Sundance Film Festival premiere. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 97%, based on 221 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Brooklyn buttresses outstanding performances from Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen with a rich period drama that tugs at the heartstrings as deftly as it satisfies the mind." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating 'universal acclaim'. Regarding its Oscar nominations, one critic said that "It deserves its place."

Accolades

Brooklyn has received many nominations for industry and critics awards, including three nominations for the 88th Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actress. Ronan's performance in particular was praised and has garnered her Oscar, BAFTA, Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, and SAG nominations for best actress. She has also won the BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film. Julie Walters was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the BAFTAs.

The film won the Audience Favourite Gold Award in World Cinema at the Mill Valley Film Festival, the Rogers People's Choice Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Virginia Film Festival. Cohen was named Breakthrough Performer at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Brooklyn was also named one of the best films of 2015, featuring on over 120 Top 10 Critics' Lists. It is ranked both fourth on Rotten Tomatoes and fifth on Metacritic's best reviewed films of 2015.