While all being a little bit Oirish, a superbly reserved performance by Saoirse Ronan and a cleverly well written screenplay by Nick Hornby escalate this movie into an enjoyable, if very basic, tale of emigration in the 1950’s and a young woman’s tribulations dealing with homesickness, love and the struggle of finding her place in a strange land.

Ronan is excellent as Eilis Lacey the wide eyed immigrant who starts as the quiet and reserved deer caught in the headlights. At a local dance she is approached by a local Italian man Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen) who she reluctantly (at least initially) develops a relationship with. However as Ronan blooms into a strong headstrong woman her relationship with Tony also grows and her memories of back home slowly fade until family tragedy necessitates a return visit. With her new found confidence she finds herself as a big fish in a small pond and is torn between her two, very different, lives.

The key to the movie is it’s simplicity, there are no shocking scenes and very little melodrama which in turn makes the film very believable. But it Ronan who, quite rightly, stays the focus of our attention and who dominates the screen through each frame with two small exceptions, Julie Walters as Ronans housekeeper Madge Kehoe (rumoured to be getting her own TV spin off) and young James DiGiacomo as Tony’s brother Frankie, who both steal the scenes they are in and it’s a little unfortunate that they don’t feature more centrally.

While it’s not quite up to the same standards of some of the movies is was partnered with for a best picture Oscar it is a heartfelt and entertaining story of life in the 1950’s told from both sides of the Atlantic.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 out of 10