Brooklyn is a wonderful new movie that centers around Eilis,
a sweet but strong young woman who has just emigrated to Brooklyn from Ireland
in hopes of a better future. She leaves behind her sister and her mother and
everything she has ever known. As might be expected, such a big change is
initially challenging for her but in her new environment she slowly grows and
blossoms into a more confident and assured version of herself. Her adventures
in Brooklyn lead her to improvement in all areas of her life. She gets a new
job in a fancy department store, enrolls in night school and is wooed by a
charming and earnest Italian plumber.
Without giving too much away, events unfold that force Eilis
to choose between the new life she is creating for herself, or a promising and
familiar path in her old life. As you watch her make these difficult choices, your
heart breaks and for her. Each path seems to have much to offer. One can’t help
but think of circumstances in our own lives in which there has been a fork in
the road and only one path can be taken. The immense pressure and yearning that
we all feel for the new and fresh, or for the familiar, safe, and secure is
depicted so beautifully here. In the end she chooses with her heart. Which path
she chooses might not be obvious however, as the movie unfolded, I didn’t know
what our heroine was going to decide. That is one thing I loved about this
film.
This movie is universal because it deals with the crossroads
in our lives and with themes of new beginnings, comfort, safety, and the
challenge of choosing between family, and what we want and love. It displays
these choices, and the paths we must take with care, beauty and tenderness.
Brooklyn creates a beautiful and magical world that I was happy to be lost in.
