Ellis Lacey faces a dismal life in Ireland in the 1950’s. Chances for marriage or a decent job are far off dreams. An Irish priest now living in the United States offers her a chance to change all this. He will sponsor her immigration to Brooklyn, New York.
Ellis (Saoirse Ronan) leaves behind her older sister who is committed to take care of their widowed mother. She is homesick, but begins to acclimate. Everything brightens when she meets the affable Tony (Emroy Cohn), an Italian plumber. They secretly get married.
When her older sister unexpectedly dies, Ellis returns to Ireland. She reaches celebrity status based on her life in America. She falls in love with a man who formerly snubbed her. Her quandary is the crux of the movie.
The surprise is that a no-name director with no-name actors can come up with this remarkably entertaining movie that mesmerizes the audience. Ronan is Irish, born in The Bronx and holds dual citizenships. Her only other decent credit is “Atonement” when she was 13 year old. Irish director John Crowley has nothing mentionable in his bio.
Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress are well deserved. Note: This is not a chick-flick.
The movie gets an unqualified A grade. It is currently playing at the Rialto Theater in The Villages.
Villager Jack Petro reviews movies for Villages-News.com