Brooklyn (2015)
The Bachelorette: Ireland
Top of the mornin’ evenin’ to ya and welcome back to I’d Like To Blank The Academy. We celebrated St. Paddy’s Day a bit early by watching 2015 Best Picture nominee and “movie made by nearly all Irish people” Brooklyn. So pack your bags, lock that shared bathroom door, and read on!
Previews
What, if anything, did we know about this coming attraction before we watched?
Ellen: This is not the type of movie that I typically gravitate toward, so I was totally unaware of it before I engaged in the fabled Best Picture Marathon 2015. At the time I thought I would be kind of bored by it, but even my action-addled brain isn’t immune to Saoirse’s charms! While it didn’t embed itself into my brain the way it did our friend Beth’s (she’s seen it a dozen times now I think?), I'm still excited to revisit it!
Tyler: Beth saw Brooklyn so many times she moved there. I’m at the opposite end of the spectrum, having never seen this movie and moved to a decidedly less hip city. Brooklyn slid under my radar too when it came out, as it’s not the kind of movie I’m typically drawn to: it had all the trappings of a well-acted period piece that I nevertheless couldn’t bring myself to care about. It also had some stiff competition for my eyeballs from its fellow Best Picture nominees, with The Big Short, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, and eventual winner Spotlight all offering more intriguing (in their own ways) stories than “cute white girl has trouble fitting in.” Time to find out if I was right about that.
Plots & Feelings
This one’s pretty self-explanatory.
Short Version (courtesy of IMDb): An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
Long Version (modified from Wikipedia and formatted to fit your screen):
Meet Eilis (pronounced “AYY-lish”) Lacey, a young woman stuck without much opportunity in her small town in Ireland in 1951. She lives with her mother and older sister, Rose, and works part-time for the waspish and condescending1 Miss Kelly in her general store. But: there’s hope! She’s being sponsored by someone called Father Flood to go to America, and as a side-effect, is even less interested in the blazered, preppy Rugby Club boys than usual. Eilis and her distinctive green coat wave goodbye to her mother and Rose from the ship, not knowing she’ll soon be struck with terrible seasickness. Thankfully, her fast-talking, dyed blonde cabin-mate is on the case, helping her win the shared bathroom back and giving her tips to look just confident enough going through immigration.
Tyler: While Eilis couldn’t care less about those preppy boys, her friend's focus on them really emphasizes the stage of life they’re in. By juxtaposing this with the following scene of Eilis packing up all her stuff and leaving in the next scenes, it really reminds you that what she’s embarking on (by herself, no less) is an incredible undertaking for a young person.
Having survived her seasickness, Eilis must now battle her homesickness. She lives in a boarding house with other young Irish girls run by the salty-but-kind Mrs. Kehoe and begins work at Bartocci’s department store, proving to be so distracted by thoughts of home that she has trouble with small talk with customers and coworkers alike. Her housemates aren’t mean per se, but catty enough to make friendship an uphill battle. Letters from home help and hurt in equal measure, and Eilis is nearly sobbing at work2, so Father Flood comes by. He’s enrolled her in bookkeeping night classes to help her on her journey to become an accountant.
Ellen: I know she’s distraught, but Eilis’ feeble attempts at talking to other humans are so tough to watch, hoo boy. Also, her coworker’s chat involves having seen The Quiet Man the previous evening, which coincidentally is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year! The Best Picture nominee will be playing in select theaters on Thursday, if you’re not tryna drink green beer (or if you are, sneak some in and make an evening of it!).
Tyler: It’s almost like being alone in a foreign country is … hard?
Ellen: I also think it’s no accident Eilis has the most obviously Irish name of any of the girls we meet: Nancy, Rose, Diana, Dolores.
In a continuing effort to not spend every waking hour actively wishing to be across the Atlantic, Eilis attends several events at the parish hall, including serving dinner to elderly Irish men on Christmas. While this doesn’t exactly allay her homesickness, it does by extension earn her the basement apartment in the boarding house! She also takes a new boarder to a dance at the hall and is invited to dance by an amiable young plumber named Tony. He’s zero percent Irish but one hundred percent adorable, and the two begin a sweet courtship, which, as Eilis writes to Rose, includes going to the movies every Wednesday.3
Ellen: They all can’t stand the new housemate, and it’s attempting to get away from her that begins Eilis’ friendship with two of the other girls at Mrs. Kehoe’s. Nothing like hating a 3rd party to bond two groups!
Tyler: I got similar yet VERY different vibes to the gym dance in West Side Story. So much so that I joked this boy’s name would also be Tony, and lo and behold it is!
A parade of gorgeous dresses ensues as Eilis goes about her life with new confidence, excelling at work and in bookkeeping class. Tony invites her to dinner with the family, and it goes wonderfully except for a slight hiccup with his youngest brother saying they “don’t like Irish people.” The remainder of the family shouts him down, and this minor misunderstanding from an 8-year-old is the most friction we see in the entire movie. The couple eventually profess their love to one another and go on a date to Coney Island to celebrate Eilis’ outstanding exam scores. Because everything is going so well and Eilis is writing home that this is the first time she’s been happy in America, that must mean it’s time for Father Flood to show up to Bartocci’s to let Eilis know Rose has died.
Tyler: I knew someone would die, but did NOT expect it to be her sister. A lesser movie would have taken the easy road and just offed her mother instead, so when it’s revealed to be Rose I was admittedly taken aback.
Naturally, Eilis’ first thought is “hello get me home IMMEDIATELY.” Before she goes, however, Tony has something to show her: a plot of land on Long Island that his family plans to develop together. He asks her to at least think about it, to which she says she doesn’t need to and hearts melt throughout the theater and across streaming services. They take it a few steps further and decide to get married at City Hall, where Tony excitedly chats with another family with roots to Eilis’ hometown. They take advantage of the fact that Eilis’ basement room has its own entrance4, and soon Eilis is back in Ireland for a month, secretly married. She reunites with her old friend Nancy, who is getting married to one of those oily-haired goobers from the Rugby Club! There’s another one hanging around as well, the quiet and well-mannered Jim Farrell. He is much to Eilis’ mother’s approval, and so is the fact that Eilis starts working part-time at Rose’s old job, since they haven’t managed to fill her spot yet.
Ellen: When Father Flood says that she’s too far away to make it back in time for the funeral, the way Eilis’ face just breaks is gutting and so well-acted.
Life in Enniscorthy has come together for her in a way it never did before, Eilis describes to Rose’s grave. Her mother is as happy as could be expected, she’s gainfully employed, a nice tall man is interested in her… and Tony’s letters sit unopened in her nightstand. Eilis eventually tries to write back, but can’t find the words. Nancy’s wedding keeps her in Ireland a week longer than planned, and Jim floats the idea of their future while they dance at the reception. The next day, Eilis is summoned to Miss Kelly’s, who slyly informs her that she’s got a niece in Brooklyn and knows all about Eilis’ secret marriage. This proves to be just what’s needed to shake her from the spell she’s been under, and she forcefully informs Miss Kelly that “my name is Eilis Fiorello!” Eilis books her trip home, resists the guilt trip from her mother, and leaves Jim a letter. She plays the role of Experienced Traveler to help shepherd a new immigrant girl coming over, and our last shot is of Eilis waiting for Tony to finish work and their joyful embrace.
Ellen: Poor Jim suffers from Patrick-Dempsey-in-Sweet-Home-Alabama Syndrome. There’s nothing wrong with him and is actually a great guy, but he’s simply not the guy.
Tyler: Jim and almost every Bachelor/Bachelorette runner-up.
Intermission
Even though ILTBTA is free, please indulge us further and enjoy this quick “advertisement.”
This installment of ILTBTA is brought to you by … Mrs. Kehoe’s Boarding House!
Are you a polite, young Irish woman looking for room and board in New York City? Look no further than Mrs. Kehoe’s Boarding House! Situated in a beautiful brownstone in the bustling Brooklyn borough, Mrs. Kehoe offers a small slice of home with her home cooking, piety, and dinner table gossip (please, anything but politics!). Tell Mrs. Kehoe that ILTBTA sent you and get a free walkthrough of the room in the basement, which was recently made vacant by the previous tenant.
Wiki-Wiki-Whaaat?
Love a good Wikipedia rabbit hole in search of some fun facts? Us too.
Brooklyn’s Wikipedia page has some interesting facts and anecdotes that we recommend you read through, but here are a few of our favorites:
Brooklyn is based on a 2009 novel of the same name by Irish author Colm Tóibín, who praised the film adaptation. The novel was very well received: it won the 2009 Costa Novel Award, was ranked #51 on The Guardian’s list of the 100 best books of the 21st century, was shortlisted for the 2011 International Dublin Literary Award, and was longlisted for the 2009 Booker Prize.
Tyler: You best believe I’m going to tell people I was “longlisted” for every award ever from now on.
In addition to acting in films, Saoirse Ronan has also acted in several music videos, including “Cherry Wine” by Irish musician Hozier and “Galway Girl” by ginger/presumed-honorary-Irishman Ed Sheeran.
Ellen: I cannot think about “Galway Girl” without remembering the time I played it in the car with my brother and upon hearing “played the fiddle in an Irish band, but she fell in love with an English man,” he declared the song a tragedy!
Tyler: A strong opinion about music from someone in your family? Gasp.
The town of Enniscorthy, where Ronan’s character Eilis is from, was the end point for the first successful flight from Britain to Ireland. Denys Corbett Wilson flew over the Irish Sea for about 100 minutes on April 22, 1912, landing near Enniscorthy.
Ellen: That flight was juuuuust shy of being long enough to watch Brooklyn from the co-pilot seat!
Domhnall Gleeson, who played Jim Farrell, had quite the year in 2015: in addition to Brooklyn, he also starred in Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and The Revenant. That’s one way to make us learn how to pronounce your name.
Oscar NomNomNomz
Since we all know a movie is nothing without the food and drink it incorporates.
It’s now time to award the Oscar for Best Snacktor in a Supporting Role5. And the nomnomnominees are:
Mrs. Brady’s rashers from Ms. Kelly’s shop
Mutton stew from the liner
Spaghetti at Tony’s house
And the Oscar goes to … the spaghetti at Tony’s! Unfortunately, he needs that spaghetti as fuel while building his and Eilis’ house on Long Island, so we will accept this award on its behalf.
*Special Note: The actual Oscars are coming soon! The 94th Academy Awards will air on Sunday March 27th at 8 PM EDT (with eight fewer awards televised) on ABC. Follow @BlankTheAcademy on Twitter as we live tweet the ceremony.
Honorable Mentions
What other movies should you be watching?
Now, if you’ve just finished watching Brooklyn and are like, “wow, how charming; I’ll take another equally charming Best Picture nominee that’s sort of geographically related but takes place at a later time and has a bit more stakes, please!”, then have we got the movie for you!
Our next Honorable Mention is Belfast (2021), the tale of nine-year-old Buddy growing up in the titular city during the Protestant/Catholic tensions and riots known as The Troubles. Billed as a semi-autobiographical film from director Kenneth Branagh, Belfast transports you back in time to an idyllic neighborhood seen through Buddy’s eyes, where his biggest “troubles” are getting the attention of the cute girl in class and convincing his parents to take him to the movies. Buddy (and the audience) gradually learn of the micro- and macro-level issues taking place around him in his home and city, as he leans on his extremely supportive parents, brother, and grandparents to help him understand what in the world is happening.
As is often the case with young lead actors, Belfast is only as good as the portrayal of Buddy, and newcomer Jude Hill nails the charming precociousness of Buddy during a turbulent and confusing time for everyone. Toss in some fantastic supporting performances, great writing, and a Van Morrison led soundtrack, (plus some references to a previous ILTBTA movie!) and you’ve got yourself a beautiful Best Picture nominee that we’ll be rooting for next Sunday. As Ellen wrote in our Spreadsheet comments, Belfast is “a warm hug protecting you from the outside world as best it can.”
While Belfast will reportedly be available to stream on Peacock later this spring, it is still available to see in select theatres.
Fill In The Blank
How did we really feel about The Academy nominating this?
Ellen: I’d like to take the Academy to Coney Island for some well-deserved fun in the sun! This movie is simply delightful. There’s not a lot of drama but still plenty of emotion, and it really says something that the movie can have so little capital “P” Plot but keep you compelled. That kind of filmmaking relies on the strength of the central character and your interest in just watching them live their life without a clear idea of an end goal or climax. Saoirse Ronan is beautiful, and so are the dresses they put her in, but more than that, the performance is subtle and relatable. It’s also sort of a secret coming-of-age movie intertwined with the romance period piece, and it’s quite rewarding to watch Eilis grow confident enough to tell off Miss Kelly and return to her new home.
Tyler: I’d like to order some medium-well crow to eat in front of the Academy, because damn if I didn’t enjoy Brooklyn more than expected (which is sorta the whole point of ILTBTA!). I stand by the accuracy of my initial “cute white girl has trouble fitting in” perception, but Saoirse Ronan is so gosh-darn charming as Eilis that you almost forget there’s barely any meaningful plot development for the first like hour of the movie.
Even if you’re not an immigrant moving to a different country, many of us can empathize with Eilis’ situation - feeling out of place and longing to go back home, questioning if you made the right decision to leave - and Saoirse Ronan nails that struggle perfectly. That feeling of homesickness in a foreign land hit particularly hard for me after struggling to adjust to life both in college and (more recently) Houston away from my family, despite (like Eilis) knowing that it was the right place to be for me and my future. If this movie doesn’t make you sympathize with the struggles of immigrants coming to and assimilating into our country, you need a reality check.
Let The Credits Roll
Thanks for reading! Some quick housekeeping as you exit the theatre:
If you have plots and feelings of your own (on the movie or ILTBTA in general), feel free to comment on the post or simply reply to the email. If you liked reading this: tell your friends! If you hated reading this: tell your friends how much you hated it by forwarding it to them!
If you’re a weirdo like Tyler and use Twitter, feel free to follow us there @BlankTheAcademy for ILTBTA updates, rejected jokes, and other random movie-related musings. Once we reach a million followers, we’ll offer to purchase the @ILTBTA handle from the butthead who snagged it before us.
If you’d like to start a wild Best Picture journey of your own, feel free to download a copy of The Spreadsheet. Bonus: checking off the boxes is oddly satisfying.
For pizza’s sake, GET YOUR COVID VACCINE AND BOOSTER! Wear a mask. Get tested. Don’t be an idiot.
Post-Credits Scene
Get a sneak peek at the next ILTBTA installment.
Jump in your time machine and put on your dancing shoes, everyone, because for our next ILTBTA post we’ll be watching 1935’s Top Hat. Starring the iconic duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Top Hat is available to rent for $1.99 in all the usual places.
Until then, put on your “f you” sunglasses and live your best life.
Sounds like my ex-wife!
Ellen: Same same same.
Tyler: Someone please help Ellen get a new job.
Which is to say: the perfect relationship.
👀
Results tabulated and certified by the accountants at Ernst & Yum™.