Brooklyn

The Irish immigrant experience serves as the basis for this sweetly poignant assimilation story, enhanced by a superbly confident ensemble cast. In 1952, the local Roman Catholic Church arranges for demure, twentysomething Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) to reluctantly leave her widowed mother (Jane Brennan) and older sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, to live and work in Brooklyn, NY. Naïve and bewildered after her long voyage, Eilis arrives at a small boardinghouse strictly run by sharp-tongued Mrs. Kehoe (Julie Walters) and begins a job at a local department store, where her shy, prim demeanor doesn't exactly encourage customers. Wretchedly lonely and homesick, Eilis is sponsored by a warmly sympathetic priest (Jim Broadbent), who suggests that she take night courses in accounting and attend church dances. At the latter she meets Tony (Emory Cohen), a charming Italian-American plumber drawn to Irish girls. When Tony invites Eilis home to meet his family, the boardinghouse girls insist on giving her lessons on how to properly eat spaghetti, with humorous results. But tragedy will strike and Eilis will be faced with hard choices. Nominated for several Oscars—including Best Picture—director John Crowley's sensitive film, based on the 2009 novel by Colm Tóibín, is propelled by Ronan, who uses her natural Irish accent to deliver a low-key, yet powerful performance. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director John Crowley, six promotional featurettes (22 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary (10 min.), and bonus digital and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this Best Picture nominee.] (S. Granger)