There's no place like home...

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES (2015)
Torn between old and new, Eilis must struggle to decide between different lives.

Brooklyn: a single word that, for an Irish immigrant in the ’50s, held so much promise. Two syllables that contain hope, fear, anticipation, longing and desire. For Eilis, it means America, and everything that comes with it. Leaving behind everything she knows to start a new life, the call of home remains strong.

This is a movie that is the perfect encapsulation of a moment in time. Both historically and emotionally, rarely has such exacting attention to detail existed. There is never a break from the realism of the scene, which drives home all the pain and hope and turmoil that comes from moving away from home for the first time.

The fact is, every moment in Brooklyn captures the exact emotions one feels when being torn between two places. Any person who has moved away from home, who has taken that insane leap of faith necessary to leave all that is loved and familiar, will find their struggle on the screen. The universality of the experience, regardless of place and time, must be acknowledged and, to some degree, provide wonderful comfort for all of us who have experienced the murderous pain of homesickness.

This emotion would never have carried across without the incredible acting by Saoirse Ronan and the rest of the cast. Her portrayal has earned her an Oscar nomination and it’s easy to see why. Ronan manages to convey sentences with a single look, drawing the audience in completely. Her evolution as a character feels completely natural and all the things she doesn’t say are clear for anyone to see.

While Ronan is the shining star of the movie, she’s far from the only talented individual on screen. Fans of both Harry Potter and Mad Men will see some familiar faces, all completely disappearing into new roles. New faces, such as Emory Cohen, who plays the Italian love interest Tony, seem to have no trouble keeping up with these powerhouses.

Not only is the acting amazing, the direction is perfectly on-point throughout the entire film. John Crowley manages timing and filmography with an eye for the perfect shot. No scene ever drags on or gets cut off, a rare achievement. Every scene seems so perfectly suited for the emotion of the dialog, whether it be a humorous quip or a heart-wrenching cry.

The switches from laughter to heartache take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster, but one with surprisingly smooth transitions. Instead of jerking the audience around, or leaving them with the feeling of having a rug pulled out from under them, Brooklyn actually addresses every detail, with no threads left to dangle in the winds.

With such incredible acting, a relatable story and dazzling direction, Brooklyn is a rare treat for the modern movie goer. Far from the remakes and retellings we’ve been overwhelmed with lately, this is a movie that finds an original way to tell a universal story.