Brooklyn

Based on the novel by Colm Tóibín with a screenplay by Nick Hornby, who is a practiced hand at adapting books into films, his own and those of other authors. This is a pretty straightforward melodrama, and for the first hour you’d be forgiven for wondering why it has received such acclaim, particularly if you can see what’s coming a mile away. I mean, the trailer wasn’t exactly coy about the central romantic dilemma faced by the character – a man in Ireland and a man in Brooklyn. And you can tell by the title which one she goes for.

But not the reason. That final confrontation between the small-minded pettiness of old country women and the newly-found independence of a young girl in a big city is the cornerstone of the film. The rest is very sappy, but effectively so. And the performances keep you interested enough through the long first hour.