A young lass (Saoirse Ronan) leaves the fishbowl that is her impoverished, low opportunity Irish village on a steamship for a new life in America where, after overcoming the initial heartache and homesickness, she gains her footing, working as a shopgirl while attending night classes and courting an obsequious, blue collared, Italian American boy (Emory Cohen). From a novel by Colm Toibin as adapted by Nick Hornby, John Crowley's Brooklyn is an observant, lovingly filmed, warmly old fashioned, and beautifully done piece of wistfulness with an extraordinary and lovely Ronan who leads an exemplary cast, with Julie Walters, another standout, as a boarding house matron.
*** 1/2 out of ****
