Based on the novel by Colm Toibin, John Crowley’s recreation of New York City, circa 1952, and one young woman’s attempt to start a new life in the Big Apple after emigrating from Ireland was the year’s most unabashed and successful romantic film. Saoirse Ronan is heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring as Eilis, the naïve stranger in a strange land who learns not only how to live and love while living in both New York and her native land, but how to stand up for herself. The movie’s final moments, in which she stakes out her independence, proved to be one of the most satisfying cinematic moments of the year as well as one of the most quietly inspiring.