Brooklyn.

It has been said that in Waiting for Godot nothing happens in the first act, and in the second act nothing happens again.     In Brooklyn very little happens.    Yet this movie had the best opening weekend box office in Irish history – and I am not surprised.     It was adapted by Nick Hornsby from Colm Toibin’s award-wining novel, Directed by the Irish playwright and associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse, John Crowley, and stars  Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters.       This is a very Irish production, with Brid Kennan,  Maeve McGrath, Fiona Glascott, Nora-Jane Noone, Mary O’Driscoll,   Karen Ardiff,  and Aine Ni Mhuiri providing some of the many Irish female actors involved and Iarla O’Lionaird, a well known Irish sean-nos singer, electrifies with his voice in a simple but moving scene during Christmas lunch for down-and-outs. 

The story is set in 1950’s South West Ireland and in Brooklyn, as young Ellis crosses the Atlantic looking to fulfil her modest ambitions.  I could summarise the plot in three sentences, but I will not.   It is a domestic drama with very little drama.   It is also exquisite.    The slow pace and lack of adrenalin allow us to admire the colour palate, the design, costumes, music, and most of all the acting.   Saoirse Ronan, who plays Ellis,  has  the ability to hold our attention while doing nothing.   Doctor Mark Kermode suggests that the pupils of her eyes do the acting.    I say her performance is limpid; still and utterly transparent.     I was reminded of Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone, in that I could not take my eyes of her.

One of the things I love about Brooklyn is that it about good people.   Ellis’s mother and sister have only her best interests at heart.   Julie Walters plays Mrs.  Kehoe, the owner of a Brooklyn boarding house,  sharp tongued but motherly, always looking out for her ‘girls’.   Jim Broadbent is a Catholic priest who sheds no darkness.    Emory Cohen is Tony, the Italian-American who falls for Ellis, and treats her honourably.      Domhnall Gleeson’s Jim is also a good man.   In fact the only malevolent character is a shopkeeper, who in times of scarcity revels in her power.  She eventually gets her own come-upance.  

Does this mean there is no dramatic tension?  No, it does not.   Because we care about Ellis we fear for her.  Even if the threats are vague we hope that fate and those close to her will treat her well, and if she makes a mistake we are anxious about the possible consequences.    This movie operates at a profoundly human, domestic level.   So do most of us.    We do not need murder, catastrophe or tragedy to move us.    The ordinary lives of other people, if they are presented with credibility and conviction, are enough to rouse our empathy and concern. 

When I say that this is good movie I mean that to apply to every level, artistic, technical and moral.   I heartedly commend it. 

London Spy. Fact or fiction?

If I was a parent, relative or friend of the late Gareth Williams  I might be rather upset by the new BBC five part drama, London Spy, which debuted on Monday night.   Why?  Because Mr. Williams’ life and unhappy death seem to mirror those of Alex,  one of the main characters in London Spy.   At the end of the credits we read that this is a ‘work of fiction.  It is not intended to reflect any real persons, events or  set or business.’   Really?

In 2010 Mr. Williams  went missing and was found dead in his smart London apartment in very suspicious circumstances.    His body was crammed in a sports holdall.    Williams was a code-breaking genius, working for MI6.   He had gone to University when he was 13, and been recruited by GCHQ in his teens.     Williams’ flat was full of women’s clothing and wigs.    It was alleged he was a transvestite.   There were suspicions that his flat had been either cleaned up, or 'dressed' by secret agents after his death.     Both the British and Russian Secret Services  were suspected of illegal involvement. 

In London Spy Alex, or rather ‘Alex’,  has gone missing, and a body has been found in his smart London apartment, in a trunk.   He is/was a code breaking genius, who went to University when he was 15 and then to GCHQ/MI6.     Alex’s attic is full of bondage equipment and clothing.   Alex and Danny seem to have been under surveillance, but we do not know by whom.    Are we being prepared for a fictive account of his fate, or this simply ‘inspired’ by William’s mysterious death?

I do not know if the Williams family were consulted, or warned.    I hope the first.  I would be very unhappy if they were not warned of the way this episode at least mirrors their boy’s fate. 

From a TV drama point of view this drama looks very promising.    Edward Holcroft’s Alex  is convincing,  a brilliant man who seems to have given up all hope of having a loving relationship, dedicating himself to his secret craft, until he happens upon Danny.   Ben Wishaw plays Alex’s lover Danny with subtly and conviction.   Jim Broadbent reveals the steel under his avuncular velvet.   Tom Rob Smith's script is taut, and well realised by Jakob Verbruggen's direction.  The photography by Laurie Rose follows the mood faithfully in tones of grey and blue, and the music by David Holmes and Keefus Ciancia is appropriately understated.    I look forward to seeing further episodes,  but I am disturbed by the fiction-based-on-fact implications.