Brooklyn

Saturday night I was home alone, and decided to watch a movie my husband wasn't interested in.

Here's the blurb from IMDB for Brooklyn:

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.

It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay, so I figured it would be a good movie.

What I didn't expect was to find such a personal connection. I had kind of glossed over the fact that the story revolves around an immigrant who falls in love with someone from her new country (sound familiar?), and when the main character is struggling with the decision to remain in her homeland or continue her life in her adopted country I couldn't help but think of all the times I doubted my decision to give up my American life and build a new one in France. The eternal question of the fork in the road.

The plot could fit on the back of a postage stamp, which means the movie takes the time to develop the characters and their relationships, and of course show off fabulous 1950's dresses, cars, and sunglasses.

The movie is based on a book by Colm Toibin, who is from the Wexford area of Ireland, and he based the story in Wexford as well with Lacey as the main character's last name. It's a little cheesy, but when I realized the story started in Wexford and that the family was called Lacey, I felt even more personally connected with the story: my grandmother's grandfather was John Lacey, born in Wexford just after the potato famine and who later moved to Baltimore. Lacey is one of the most common names in Wexford county, so it's a bit like saying "My name is Williams/Johnson too!", but I still like the coincidence.

So if you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend Brooklyn.