Brooklyn is one of those rare movies where the old fashion movie making looks amazingly refreshing. The narrative of the story surely takes us to the early 50’s New York, but the style of filmmaking takes us further back when women-centric films were the strongest part of the film industry. We must confirm in this Brooklyn movie review that it has successfully avoided the contemporary spectacle and over the top “romance”. The Director John Crowley has done a commendable job by offering something new to the audience.
The story of Brooklyn is adapted from the ClomToibin’s novel and Nick Hornby has done it quite smoothly. The story is about a young lady, Eilis. She takes a journey from Enniscorthy, County Wexford and reaches to a giant city. The cinematography quite brilliantly captures the changes around Eilis. It tries to show how the two places are quite different not only in terms of the structure and nature, but also in terms of the atmosphere and the vibe. A viewer will definitely feel that impacts those changes have made in the blue eyes of Eilis. Brooklyn beautifully underlines the changes through the time lapse and the identical differences between two different places.
The music also plays an interesting role in shaping the emotions and by taking the story forward. The old chorus and the verses set up the mood perfectly. It has been said that the silence becomes powerful when the music is right and that is what exactly happens with this film. The silent moments in this film become an unspoken language. The mute montage of faces was brilliantly used to portray the lost loves and left homes.
Ronan is the main character and show pulls it off by acting effortlessly with her pupil. Her well-timed gestures and perfectly used voice intonations engage the viewers with her emotions. Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters accompany her very well and create some memorable moments on the screen.
The film looks well crafted- the makeup, set and light work are very well matched. The complex yet easy to understand storyline is well served by the production. The film is a good example of how the inner essence should be presented without too much shout and over the top activities. The director handles the cast in the perfect way and helps them with the best possible circumstances. This helps the film to become a rare masterpiece of this generation.