I'd heard that Brooklyn was not worth the hype, but I'd also heard it had a classic-film feel to it, which I would like. I don't think anyone could have predicted how I actually responded to it. Brooklyn is a love story, and does itself a disservice by denying it. It is not a feminist or historical masterwork, it's not about family or immigration - it's a love story. Probably could have been the next Notebook if they tried harder, but there's not enough investment in the male characters. The entire film hinges on Saorise Ronan's performance, which is in turns vulnerable and wise. Her Eilis is quite real, but extremely lucky in her experiences. She is not abused, taken advantage of, nor does she need to stand up for herself until the very end - and even then, it's a small victory. I can identify with Eilis - especially when she falls in love with an Italian boy, and blossoms into herself. I was still able to root for Jim Farrell when the Irish suitor showed up, but only because he's played by Domhnall Gleeson, and we all know how I feel about Dom. My heart broke with Eilis's, as she realizes she must make a decision, to choose between the Irishman and the Italian. A nightmare, I thought, to find someone you love so much, and to have to choose between the very real love, and the dream of a perfect life you had always imagined with someone else. Eilis makes her decision not out of morality, need, or pressure, but presumably out of pride, and love, when she is threatened with blackmail.
The production design is faultless, and the performances admirable - Saorise Ronan in particular - but the film does lack lustre. Uncertain as Eilis, the film doesn't know what it wants to be. It lingers too long in some places, bears too heavily in others, yet charms in still others. While I enjoyed the film as it is, I'm not sure I would have had the patience to enjoy it were I not bound to seat 22D for seven hours.
On the other hand, Room was more riveting, with more to say, and a host of different emotions to experience. I remember when Emma Donoghue's novel first came out, and fast became a best seller. With little to go on from the book description, I had no idea where the film would go, but with Donoghue adapting her own novel, the film manages to be much more than an episode of Criminal Minds, which it could easily have become. It's clear why Brie Larson won the Oscar for Best Leading Actress, but not without her incredible relationship to Jacob Tremblay, who plays her son. Jack is now five, and Joy likely lived in Room for several years before his birth. Held hostage in a digitally-locked, soundproof shed, a violent outburst from their captor makes it clear that it's time to escape. Much to my surprise, the film isn't even half over by this point - and I spent the rest of it waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's not an easy film to watch, but a good one. It's a bit of a stretch to call Room an Irish film, but the Irish are proud of their progeny, and director Lenny Abrahamson is doing quite well for himself. (I adore Abrahamson, based on his superb handling of Frank.) His ability to portray outsiders, and to give fresh eyes to the world, is remarkable. He is aided by a moving score from Frank composer Stephen Rennicks. The man behind The Soronpfrbs has crafted an unsurprisingly beautiful score for a complicated film.
Let it be noted that as biased as I am toward Domhnall Gleeson, I much preferred the film he was not in. Sorry, homeboy!
Notes:
- Brie Larson was recommended to Lenny Abrahamson, based on her performance in Short Term 12, which I wrote about in March.
- Domhnall had another movie showing on the plane: The Revenant, for which Leonardo DiCaprio won Best Actor the same night Brie Larson won her award.
- Another Oscar winner that night was Gleeson's Ex Machina co-star Alicia Vickander, whose boyfriend is Frank lead Michael Fassbender.
- A24 distributed Room, but also Ex Machina, and the Fassbender feature Slow West. These guys have good taste.
