But of course, being a Tupac fan, it didn’t really hit home with me until I saw the movie Juice. Juice was a movie about four seemingly normal kids who decided to rob a convenience store one day just so they could finally get some respect in their neighborhood. But then out of the blue, Tupac goes crazy and starts killing everyone, even his friends. It was at that moment that I decided I had no desire to ever step foot in this modern day Babylon.
That was until the hipster movement took place and invaded what used to be a safe haven for the devil’s black servants! Now they all of a sudden found themselves having to compete with Satan’s most annoying followers, skinny little vegan kids who wore tiny jackets and smoked pipes that were made in the late 1800’s. How could I not see this awesome clash of depravity with my very own eyes? It didn’t take long before I found myself standing in the middle of Williamsburg toting a Bible and clove of garlic while witnessing this amazing transition take place! By the way, I well aware of the fact that mustache wearing kids who eat nothing but raw barley all day and black people can only afford to live in the projects aren’t all the devil’s henchmen; just the vast majority of them are. (Calm down! Calm down! These are just jokes)
Anyway, the movie Brooklyn takes us to another period of time when the lovely borough was once full of hopeful immigrants who were in search for a new start and a better life for themselves. And in particular we get to witness the journey of the sweet and bright eyed Ellis. Ellis is played by the beautiful and seemingly innocent Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Atonement); a talented young actress who actually spent a good amount of her childhood growing up in Ireland, so in a way she was the perfect cast for this role.
Ellis hails from a small town in Ireland where everyone knows one another and your options in life are unbelievably limited. But thanks to her sister, she found a way out through the help of a priest in America who set her up with a job and a place to stay to help get her on her feet. At first the transition is pretty rough on her as her homesickness has her on the brink of depression, but one day she meets the good looking and affable Tony. Tony is an Italian boy who has a thing for Irish girls and he is immediately smitten with Ellis.
And as their relationship grows, she finally sees herself living the life that she had hoped for for so long. That is until something from her past causes her to have to go home and she finds herself falling right back into the traps of her native land. So now she must make the difficult choice between her new life in America or the life that seemingly calling her in Ireland.
I was a bit hesitant going into this movie as most love stories these days are overwrought with sappy storylines or unrealistic scenarios. But Brooklyn is easily one of the most honest looks into the heart that I’ve seen in quite some time. It shows you how there really aren’t any clear cut paths to happiness and how your environment has a major effect on your perception of things. And as you find yourself going through a sort of self-discovery with Ellis, you experience almost every human emotion possible along the way. There’s pain, sadness, hope, love, and even laughter all packed within this two hour journey but in the end you understand everything she had to go through to reach her final decision.
The most telling moment was when I found myself singing Drake’s "These hos aint loyal" one second and then the very next I was near tears as I couldn’t help but connect with the main character’s plight.
I’m a bit of a weirdo so I could handle seeing this movie by myself but I suggest that you find a significant other to experience this emotional roller coaster with as it may help you discover something about yourselves. At the very least, they can be around to help keep sharp objects away from you. I rate this movie as very FRESH and I hope that Saoirse Ronan gets the nominations she so deserves for this role.
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