The Immigrant Wonder Woman

Brooklyn’s Unsung Heroine Every Young Woman Should Know About

This year’s Wonder Woman arrived to theaters beating out not only her enemies on the screen, but also her competitors at the box office. The movie has become the highest grossing live-action film directed by a woman earning more than $609.8 million (Lang). Wonder Woman is just one film that is a part of this new cinematic generation’s hottest trend of strong-leading female roles. In 2016, there was a record number of 29% of the top 100 films at the U.S. Box Office possessing female-lead roles (Pallota). One notable film embodying this women-empowerment trend that may have fallen under the radar is 2015’s Brooklyn with its “superhero” Eilis.

Brooklyn tells the story of Irish immigrant Eilis who is moving away from the comforts of her home in Ireland to the unknown world of New York to pursue a better life. She combats against and triumphs over loneliness and fear to become the warrior of a superhero she was meant to be. Eilis may be just one out of many strong female leading roles but what makes her stands out from the crowd is her vulnerability, relatability, and charming strength. 

Source: 

http://appleford.leftcoastx.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Brooklyn-3.jpg

A New York Trained Warrior

All young women must face a variety of life’s battles alone and many times, they are not confident in themselves to face them. Studies have found that there has been a 60% decrease in ambition and 50% decrease in confidence among women in regards to attaining managerial positions (Annese). Brooklyn’s protagonist, Eilis embodies this struggle as she naïve in a worldly sense and not completely secure in herself moving from County Wexford, Ireland to take on the big city of Brooklyn, New York. The film's close-up shots of Eilis show the process of her realizing that she always had in within her soul to triumph. The shots emphasize her as a bright-eyed, innocent girl with a soft-jawline that is fixed with a determination. It is set that “she’ll brook no nonsense” (Kenny).

Across the world, young women encounter their own battles with independence. Life throws them into situations that they are not prepared for but that they must adapt to and grow from. This struggle can be seen in the character of Eilis. Similar to many young women, she arrives to the battle of adulthood with naivety. The movie's shots Eilis lying by herself in bed staring at the ceiling and crying over letters from home emphasize her lonesomeness. She has a difficult time adjusting to her new job at the fashionable Bartoccis store as she fails to engage in light conversation with customers. Her vulnerability is emphasized in these elements and can be all too relatable for young woman. I am a 20-year old college student and can especially identify with her feelings of isolation and lonesomeness as I transition into USC and into independence.

She adjusts to the battlefield of New York and gains strength from her letters, support from Father Flood, her boarding housemates, and her roots. Eilis matures and transforms into an independent, strong warrior of a woman which is emphasized in how her plain style changes to sophisticated frocks and skirts (Kemp). Her strength is especially tested when her sister dies from a heart condition and her mother is left alone. She goes home to attend the funeral and to comfort her mother. She almost gets caught up in the seemingly happy surface of Ireland as she is welcomed home, pursued by a suitor, and is offered a bookkeeping job. The ultimate climax is launched when she the remembers that the reason she escaped Ireland was to get away from its claustrophobic, gossipy climate. She is reminded of the career and life opportunities New York has to offer and how she has ultimately made it her home. Eilis’s awful former boss attempts to threaten her into staying in Ireland by holding gossip over her but she firmly stands up proclaiming, “My name is Eilis Fierlero.” In the end of the movie, she is someone that we are familiar with yet who has dramatically changed, as she moves forward with confidence in her strengths of vulnerability and determination (Scott).

Source: 

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4e/57/61/4e57613131b6b9c126a72543cd92a6d7--movie-list-period-dramas.jpg

The Must Have Super Powers of the Season

If you pick up any copy of magazine targeting young women, you can see our society's tendency to worship superficiality. The popular magazine company, Cosmopolitan, issued an article titled "8 Things Guys Notice About You Instantly". It goes on to list solutions regarding 'how thick your hair is', 'if your smile is generous', and how is 'the pitch of your voice' (Heitman). Brooklyn demonstrates how loving others require that you love yourself first. Independence and self-confidence are the “must-have” accessories-or more accurately superpowers-when it comes to the affairs of the heart. Eilis possesses these superpowers and she is pursued by kind and honest Tony. Their relationship is one that can both be admired and related to. When Eilis enthusiastically talks about her dreams to be an accountant and of her loved ones, Tony lovingly looks at her. He admires her strength and passion for life, which is one of the reasons why he falls for her. Tony and Eilis are an example of true love that not only young girls can learn from but that anyone can.

Brooklyn exhibits a relationship with substance. It focuses more on the emotional part of the relationship rather than the sexual part of it. This element of the movie is conveyed in how Eilis wears more conservative yet stylish clothing including lingerie that covers her whole body. The substance of their relationship is shown in the simple things in life such as their movie dates, their chemistry- filled conversations, and how Tony always waits outside for Eilis after her night classes to take her home. When they do engage in sex, it is a short scene that is focused more on their eyes than on the act itself. This portrayal of a more meaningful rather than physical relationship combats “the eye candy” role that many woman roles are dehumanized to. According to a study, 23.7% of females in film feature some nudity and 25.7% were featured in “sexy attire” compared to only 8.2% of males in film (Frevale). One of the most pivotal scenes of the film that best represents their relationship is when Eilis tells Tony she loves him. Her declaration of love is unique and real as she expresses it with such shyness yet sincerity. She has never been in a romantic relationship before and admits that she didn’t know what to say at first when Tony confessed his love for her. She quietly says, “I have thought about you and I like you and I like being with you and maybe I feel the same way too so the next time you tell me you love, if there is a next time, I’ll say I love you too.” The best kind of love stories are not the ones that are perfectly planned out, but they are the ones with honesty in all its stumbles and flaws (Brooklyn).

Works Cited

Annese, Lisa. “It’s Not Lack of Confidence Holding Women Back, It’s the Myths We Tell Ourselves”, TheGuardian. Guardians News and Media Limited, 8 March 2016. Web. 16 September 2017.  https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/mar/08/its-not-lack-of-confidence-holding-women-back-its-the-myths-we-tell-ourselves.

Brooklyn. Dir. John Crowley. 20^th Century Fox. 2015. Film.

Frevele, Jamie. “Study Reveals That Female Speaking Roles in Film Not As Prevalent As ‘Eye Candy’ Roles.” theMarySue. The Mary Sue, 15 September 2017, Web. 16 September 2017. https://www.themarysue.com/women-in-film-study/

Heitman, Bethany. “8 Things Guys Notice About You”, cosmopolitan.com. Cosmopolitan, 24 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 September 2017. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/advice/a3663/what-guys-notice/

Kemp, Philip. “Brooklyn.” search-proquest. FIAF, 25 December 2015. Web. 17 September 2017. https://search-proquest-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/fiaf/docview/1737412642/FEAE7C7C696244E8PQ/1?accountid=14749.

Lang, Brent. “Wonder Woman Breaks Records: Biggest Live-Action Box Office Hit by Female Director” Variety. Variety, 23 June 2017. Web. 17 September 2017.

Kenny, Glen “Brooklyn.” Roger Ebert. n.p., 4 November 2015. Web. 17 September 2017. http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/brooklyn-2015.

Pallota, Frank. “Films in 2016 Saw Record Number of Female Lead Roles.” cnn.money. CNN, 21 February, 2017. Web. 16 September 2017. http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/21/media/female-film-protagonist-study/index.html.

Scott, A.O. “Review: Resettling the Meaning of Home in ‘Brooklyn’, With Saoirse Ronan”, NYTimes. The New York Times, 3 November 2015. Web. 14 September 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/movies/review-resettling-the-meaning-of-home-in-brooklyn-with-saoirse-ronan.html?mcubz=3.