---
title: "Brooklyn"
year: 2015
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/brooklyn"
fi1m_id: "brooklyn"
imdb_id: "tt2381111"
tmdb_id: 167073
wikidata_id: "Q16954098"
fi1m_score: 83
critics_score: 80
critics_reviews: 22
published: "2026-09-16"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:56.328159+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Brooklyn (2015)

Directed by John Crowley · 1h 51m · MPA PG-13 · Drama, History, Romance

## Identity

Brooklyn

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/brooklyn
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** brooklyn
- **IMDb ID:** tt2381111
- **TMDB ID:** 167073
- **Wikidata ID:** Q16954098
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381111/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/167073, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16954098

**Fi1m score: 83** · Critics 80 from 22 reviews

*In a sentence:* Saoirse Ronan makes a polite smile look like something that took all morning to prepare

> John Crowley’s *Brooklyn* is a moving, carefully acted romance about the effort of settling far from home. Saoirse Ronan makes its homesickness painfully convincing, even when the supporting characters and later complications feel a little too neatly arranged.

## Synopsis

In the 1950s, Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) leaves Ireland to begin a new life in Brooklyn. She wants to settle in America, but homesickness makes the change harder than she expects. Her story brings in Father Flood (Jim Broadbent), Madge Kehoe (Julie Walters) and Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen), whose courtship gives her a reason to look ahead. Getting used to unfamiliar people and the rules of romance takes time. Ireland remains close in her thoughts as she starts to discover what she might want for herself, away from the home that has shaped her.

## Review

*Brooklyn* is a fine romance because it takes homesickness seriously. John Crowley’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s novel understands how leaving home can make an ordinary conversation feel like a test, and gives Saoirse Ronan time to show the strain. Eilis Lacey is trying to build a life away from Ireland; the film stays close to her uncertainty about what she has gained and what she has left. We recommend it, with a reservation about how conveniently the later drama falls into place.

Nick Hornby’s screenplay gives Eilis Lacey feelings that do not conveniently take turns: she can be drawn towards her new surroundings and still ache for the old ones. That is a sound basis for a love story, since affection need not cure the loneliness that preceded it. The dialogue has humour without continually demanding a laugh, and the courtship is allowed some hesitancy. Emory Cohen makes Tony Fiorello appealing without seeming to ask for our approval, which helps the attraction feel like something she discovers for herself.

Saoirse Ronan does the harder work of showing how much effort it takes to seem at ease. Her watchfulness matters: a held look lets us see her character considering what to reveal before she reveals it. We were moved by those attempts to look composed, because the homesickness remains visible even when she is trying to spare everyone else the bother. The close-ups let us follow these changes without a speech explaining each one.

Yves Bélanger’s close-ups let us study those small changes without making the image more important than the actor. Production designers François Séguin and Tania Bijlani make the period easy to believe, although the tidiness can make starting again look rather comfortable. Odile Dicks-Mireaux’s costumes reinforce the pressure to look respectable. We can read the social expectations in the clothes, but sometimes wanted more of the disorder that comes with settling somewhere unfamiliar.

Jake Roberts’s editing gives the quieter exchanges room, an important choice in a film where a quick response would often tell us less than a pause. The pace seldom feels sluggish, although the measured progression can leave us anticipating an emotional change before it arrives. Michael Brook’s music is sympathetic to the romance, but occasionally too ready to tell us how much something matters. The performance seldom needs that help.

The larger weakness is in the writing around Eilis Lacey. Some supporting characters have a clear purpose and too little life beyond it, and a few later complications feel contrived. Nick Hornby is more persuasive when people are uncertain about what to say than when the plot begins arranging their decisions for them. We wanted a little more awkwardness that could not be dealt with quite so neatly.

As a period romance, it is reassuringly willing to care about people trying to behave decently. It also knows that good manners do not make a difficult decision painless, and Saoirse Ronan keeps that discomfort present beneath the polish. There is enough humour to prevent the sadness becoming an obligation. Give it an evening when nobody is in a hurry.

*Fi1m score 83, published 16 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics warmly welcome Brooklyn as a sincere, old-fashioned drama that gives homesickness and the experience of a young woman emigrating unusual care. Praise centres on Saoirse Ronan’s restrained performance, particularly her ability to convey uncertainty, loneliness and growing confidence with small changes of expression. John Crowley’s direction and Nick Hornby’s adaptation also draw approval for their emotional balance, while the romance benefits from Ronan’s chemistry with Emory Cohen.

The reservations concern how neatly the story is arranged: some reviews find supporting characters thin, later developments contrived and the restraint occasionally flattening. Little White Lies admires Ronan but finds the film short of passion; The New Yorker dissents much more sharply, arguing that the adaptation strips away complexity and ambiguity. The spread is therefore wide at the extremes, though praise dominates, and even the strongest dissent finds Ronan working to give the story feeling.

## Straight answers

**Is Brooklyn worth watching?**

*Brooklyn* is worth watching for anyone who wants a period romance that takes homesickness seriously, and we scored it 83. Saoirse Ronan makes the effort of seeming at ease painfully convincing, and Emory Cohen is an appealing match. Our reservation is that some later complications fall into place too neatly, and a few supporting characters have a purpose but little life beyond it.

**How long is Brooklyn, and what is it rated?**

*Brooklyn* runs 1h 51m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and history film.

**Where can I watch Brooklyn in the US?**

*Brooklyn* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Brooklyn, and is it suitable for children?**

*Brooklyn* is a 12A period romance with no violence to speak of and nothing frightening in it. Its difficulties are emotional: homesickness, a hesitant courtship and the strain of deciding where to belong. Older children and teenagers will have no trouble with the content, though younger ones may find its quiet, unhurried pace hard going.

**How does Brooklyn compare to Brief Encounter?**

*Brooklyn* and [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) are both romances held in check by manners and obligation, carried by small changes in an actress's face rather than by speeches. David Lean's film is the tighter and more frightening of the two, and the one we would press on a stranger. *Brooklyn* is warmer and gentler, better suited to an evening when nobody wants to be wrung out.

**Is Brooklyn based on a true story or a book?**

*Brooklyn* is based on Colm Tóibín's novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby, and is not a true story. The film keeps the book's interest in a young Irishwoman torn between the life she left and the one she is building. You need not have read the novel to follow it; Saoirse Ronan's performance carries everything the story needs.

**What should I watch after Brooklyn?**

After *Brooklyn*, try [*Brief Encounter*](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter) (1945, Fi1m 90): Small changes in expression carry a romance constrained by manners and obligation. Then [*Ali: Fear Eats the Soul*](https://film.one/film/ali-fear-eats-the-soul) (1974, Fi1m 88): A less comforting romance about finding companionship where neighbours would prefer to see none; and [*The Lunchbox*](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox) (2013, Fi1m 75): An unhurried courtship that lets loneliness emerge through the routines of daily life.

### Reviews we read (28)

- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (5/5): Crowley's big-hearted adaptation rescues sincere moviemaking about decent characters facing ethical dilemmas. Ronan's quietly expressive performance forms the film's beating heart. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/brooklyn)
- **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (A-): The review praises Saoirse Ronan's career-defining performance and the film's masterfully crafted, heartfelt old-fashioned entertainment value, while noting some contrived and overly melodramatic elements in the later drama. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/saoirse-ronan-gives-a-winning-performance-in-the-rich-r-1798185514)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a beautiful and moving film, classily and classically crafted by director John Crowley and screenwriter Nick Hornby, with superb acting and a transporting sense of time, place, and social mores. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/brooklyn-sundance-review-767488/)
- **Empire**, Angie Errigo (85/100, inferred): It is rare to see any immigrant experience through a young woman’s perceptions, and the critic praises Saoirse Ronan’s polished and feeling performance as a timid girl thrown into post-War America. The adaptation focuses sensitively on vulnerability and conflict, achieved with subtle old-fashioned elegance. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/brooklyn-review/)
- **Film Comment**, Michael Sragow (85/100, inferred): The critic finds this a calm, spellbinding literary adaptation that rewards readers of the source novel while standing on its own as a vibrant film. It singles out the director's plangent images, the nimble dialogue, and Saoirse Ronan's performance for conveying the protagonist's emotional shifts and maturation. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-brooklyn-saoirse-ronan/)
- **Evening Standard**, David Sexton (80/100, inferred): Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s novel beautifully depicts a time when decisions in romance were a leap of faith. The critic singles out Saoirse Ronan’s performance, noting that the film lives in her face and her ability to suggest a great deal by doing very little. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/brooklyn-film-review-more-tender-than-tinder-a3108391.html)
- **Radio Times**, Dave Aldridge (4/5): This sweet, crowd-pleasing tale shows Ronan coming of age as a woman torn between two worlds. It is hugely likeable old-fashioned entertainment that will move viewers. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-129x1g/brooklyn/)
- **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): An earnest, wholesome and stirring drama with all the makings of an indie-film darling. It is refreshing for focusing on a female migrant experience, elevated by Ronan's dazzling performance. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/brooklyn/5082301.article)
- **The Telegraph** (4/5): The review highlights the pulse-quickening chemistry between leads Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen as a miracle of casting and direction. It praises the film's emotional charge in depicting the wrenching decision to emigrate and the mature performance by Ronan. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/04/14/brooklyn-review-pulse-quickeningly-good/)
- **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights Saoirse Ronan's magnetic performance that anchors the delicate film and commends its graceful exploration of Irish ambivalence, homesickness, and the pull of two appealing suitors and lives. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/movie-review-brooklyn.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Elise Nakhnikian (70/100, inferred): The review commends Saoirse Ronan's quiet, watchful intensity and the film's grounding in complex emotions of emigration and homesickness, while faulting thinly sketched characters, contrivances, and occasional heavy-handed elements. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/brooklyn/)
- **Little White Lies**, Trevor Johnston (3/3/3): Ronan delivers a mesmerising performance in a story worth telling, though it lacks passion. A basic emotional truth about the material lingers despite the measured approach. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/brooklyn)
- **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (30/100, inferred): The review finds the film a simplistic and overly sanitized piece of art-house preciosity that reduces its source material to a bland, type-confined narrative without depth or ambiguity. Saoirse Ronan's lead performance is noted as the one element that works hard to bring some feeling to the proceedings. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-sanitized-past-of-brooklyn)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan: The film is described as masterfully done and emotionally rich, impeccably directed with heart-stopping performances, particularly from Saoirse Ronan, in a story about love, loneliness and finding home. The adaptation by Nick Hornby and direction by John Crowley are praised for maintaining perfect emotional balance. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-brooklyn-review-20151104-column.html)
- **Sight and Sound**, Philip Kemp: The film is a superior Irish-emigrant drama with a rare female viewpoint. It is elevated by Ronan's subtle, understated performance as a young woman torn between two places and lives. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-brooklyn)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic praises Saoirse Ronan's luminous lead performance as the heart of the film, lifting the adaptation out of sentimental nostalgia into intelligent drama. They single out Ronan's ability to convey youth, sadness and premonition in close-up as the standout element. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/05/brooklyn-review-saoirse-ronan-shines-in-nick-hornby-colm-toibin-drama)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott: The critic praises the film as a lovely, sharply observed and gently nostalgic drama about immigration, home and personal transformation in 1950s Ireland and Brooklyn. Saoirse Ronan's performance as the young woman caught between two worlds is singled out as remarkable for its force and sensitivity. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/movies/review-resettling-the-meaning-of-home-in-brooklyn-with-saoirse-ronan.html)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge: The sensitive adaptation is called beautifully written but somewhat flat, with strong performances from Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen that help it satisfy audiences seeking emotional resonance. It is noted as a tender, escapist period drama that should find mainstream appeal after its Sundance premiere. [Read](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/sundance-film-review-saoirse-ronan-in-brooklyn-1201419559/)
- **Den of Geek**, Mark Harrison (5/5): The review calls Brooklyn one of the best films of the year, an unassuming yet charming and sumptuous coming-of-age love story. It singles out Saoirse Ronan's incredible, understated performance as the magic at the heart of the film. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/brooklyn-review/)
- **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A): Crowley’s exquisitely crafted film renders homesickness, love, and longing with poignant truthfulness and emotional intelligence. Ronan delivers an outstanding performance in this luminous, bittersweet portrayal of choices and belonging. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/sundance-review-john-crowleys-gorgeous-bittersweet-brooklyn-with-saoirse-ronan-domhnall-gleeson-emory-cohen-20150128)
- **Collider**, Adam Chitwood (A-): The film is a moving and funny chronicle of a young Irish woman's immigration to 1950s Brooklyn that brings rare empathy to the familiar story of leaving home and building a new life. Hornby's script and the lead performances stand out as particularly sharp and touching. [Read](https://collider.com/brooklyn-review/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a gem and enormously moving, with Ronan delivering a luminous performance that places her in the Oscar race. It singles out the strong adaptation, balanced direction, and likable supporting turns from the male leads for praise. [Read](https://deadline.com/2015/10/brooklyn-review-saoirse-ronan-immigrant-drama-fox-searchlight-1201595283/)
- **Digital Spy**, Ali Plumb (80/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as well-acted, well-directed and well-shot, a flat-out good movie that is heartbreaking and uplifting. It singles out Saoirse Ronan's deft and delicate portrayal as likely Oscar material and Nick Hornby's best script yet. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a773424/brooklyn-review-saoirse-ronans-ticket-to-next-years-oscars/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Greg Wetherall (80/100, inferred): The film sensitively explores the emotional rifts caused by duty, family, and romance across two continents. Ronan excels in conveying both period decorum and inner turmoil, with the two suitors portrayed as equally appealing in their own ways. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/brooklyn-review/)
- **The Skinny**, Josh Slater-Willams (4/5): The review praises Brooklyn as a refreshingly old-fashioned melodrama with surprising depths and nuance about home and family. It singles out the touching romance and the funny moments thanks to the game cast and screenplay. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/brooklyn)
- **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The review finds the film a sweet, sincere old-fashioned romance that’s hard to resist despite its manipulations. It singles out Ronan’s performance and the skillful recreation of 1950s Brooklyn and immigrant life for praise. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/brooklyn-review-saoirse-ronan-nick-hornby-colm-toibin/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (75/100, inferred): The female-centric immigrant story brings freshness to a familiar tale, delivering unashamed old-school romance with earned emotional weight and strong performances, especially from Ronan and Cohen. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=26896)
- **Paste**, Andy Crump (8.7): Brooklyn is a tender, well-mannered romance and a gorgeous document of the thrill and anguish of immigration that celebrates American life through its classical style and seamless storytelling. It captures the peaks of honest love and valleys of heartbreak as the protagonist chooses between two worlds. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/brooklyn)

## Details

- **Director:** John Crowley
- **Director:** John Crowley
- **Screenplay:** Nick Hornby
- **Novel:** Colm Tóibín
- **Cinematography:** Yves Bélanger
- **Editor:** Jake Roberts
- **Music:** Michael Brook
- **Production design:** Tania Bijlani, François Séguin
- **Costume design:** Odile Dicks-Mireaux
- **Producer:** Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer
- **Cast:** Saoirse Ronan as Eilis Lacey; Domhnall Gleeson as Jim Farrell; Emory Cohen as Tony Fiorello; Jim Broadbent as Father Flood; Julie Walters as Madge Kehoe; Jessica Paré as Miss Fortini; Eve Macklin as Diana Montini; Bríd Brennan as Miss Kelly
- **Runtime:** 1h 51m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 25 November 2015
- **Genres:** Drama, History, Romance
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2015)
- **Budget:** $11 million
- **Box office:** $62 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PYJO_jCht8

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy $4.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-16.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PL, RO, SE, TR, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2016: Best Actress (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Brief Encounter* (1945), Fi1m 90: Small changes in expression carry a romance constrained by manners and obligation — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brief-encounter.md)
- *Ali: Fear Eats the Soul* (1974), Fi1m 88: A less comforting romance about finding companionship where neighbours would prefer to see none — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ali-fear-eats-the-soul.md)
- *The Lunchbox* (2013), Fi1m 75: An unhurried courtship that lets loneliness emerge through the routines of daily life — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lunchbox.md)
- *The Immigrant* (2013): A harsher account of starting again in America, with tenderness under pressure
- *Past Lives* (2023), Fi1m 85: For another patient look at emigration, affection and the lives left unchosen — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/past-lives.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/brooklyn