2015: Brooklyn (47th)

What else happened this year? Brexit was about to happen, Trump was about to happen, but what actually happened? Oh, Australia beat Korea to win the Asian Soccer championships - despite not being in Asia. Politics wise? No idea.

What is the plot - in one sentence? It's the 1950s, and a girl moves to Brooklyn from Ireland, and is starting a life there before she returns 'home' following the suicide of her sister.

I don't have time, just spoil it for me? Her mother guilt trips her into staying extra time there, and a 'suitor' is brought out for her to ogle. But... it's only Domnhall Gleeson, and she had secretly married a really nice guy in America. She eventually heads back, guilty and excited to leave home for her other one.

What is the meaning of the title? It's where she ends up in New York, nothing very obscure there.

The weird looking one on the left is a divorced woman who lives in her boarding house.

Anything that's not aged well? Does a woman get slapped around? No, on account of it being made recently and set in the past, it's not really able to age that badly. No one gets slapped around, either, which is noteworthy.

Any thoughts? I've mentioned nepotism of actors a few times in various things I've written. I'll use Domhnall Gleeson as the prime example of someone who has made a career because his father was an actor too. His character is meant to be a nice, Irish guy who is a good match for her, but he's just not convincing. It's no choice to choose between a pretty simple but nice guy you married, and a nice guy you haven't anyway. Making that second category ' Domnhall', you always choose the other guy. I'm glad she did.

Anyway, this unfolded a lot like a romantic movie, in essence it is - she ends up making the right choice and being with her new husband, who seems a very genuine and pleasant person. However, because of the movies I tend to watch, and the life I've led, I was expecting something hideous to happen - a rape, a murder, her boyfriend being abusive or something else awful, that it was a relief that the 'big turn' in the movie was the sister's suicide and the crux of the story being that she'd be guilt-tripped by her Catholic mother into staying in Ireland. It's life changing, sure, but not as graphic as I'd anticipated. I had a similar experience with that kid's movie Ponyo, where I was sure people would be dying in that.

Anyway, this is a nice, well shot and well depicted of the era of the growth into confident adulthood by Saoirse Ronan, who gives a really nice performance. The main theme is the guilt she has of travelling overseas and making a name for herself, but there would also be guilt in staying in Ireland. The movie also captures why you would want to leave Ireland at the time, you can see the appeal of the new world. As someone who's moved around a lot myself, I sympathise with it.

Would you recommend this? It was a very well done movie with a calm confidence about it. I liked it much more than I thought I might. There is however, a lot of time attending and talking about dances, which is something I've brushed over. 

Final thoughts? When she arrives, she's all nervous and lives in a boarding house for young women, but her confidence grows over time. There are two, more confident girls there, who comment on how ugly she is, but the fashion of the time means that everyone is ugly. That's my final thought.

 Here we go 47th one finished. - I hope you can't tell how much anguish this is causing me. The rest are here.