Brooklyn

In 1951, in Enniscorthy, a small town in south-east Ireland, Eilis Lacey lives with her mother and older sister, Rose. Unable to find full-time employment, she works part-time for the spiteful Miss Kelly at her grocery shop. Eilis attends local dances with friend Nancy, but is uninterested in the local young men. Rose arranges with Father Flood, an Irish priest in Brooklyn, for Eilis to immigrate to New York City for a better life. On the trip over, Eilis' cabinmate, Georgina, an experienced traveller returning to the US, offers advice and support. In New York, Eilis lives in a Brooklyn boarding house, run by Mrs Kehoe, that caters to young immigrant Irish women. She finds a job at a department store, but has difficulty adjusting to her new life and suffers severe homesickness. Father Flood enrols Ellis in night school bookkeeping classes at Brooklyn College, as she wants to become an accountant. At an Irish dance, Eilis meets Tony Fiorello, an amiable Italian-American plumber. As their romance blossoms and she progresses in her studies, Eilis gradually feels more at home in Brooklyn. When Rose unexpectedly dies, Eilis tells Tony she must return home to help her mother. He shows her a plot of land on Long Island and says he and his brothers intend to build five houses on it, selling three and keeping one for their parents and one for him and Eilis, if she wants. She says she does, but wants to visit her mother, so Tony asks her to marry him before she goes. Eilis reluctantly agrees, and they secretly marry at City Hall. While there, they bump into an Irish couple with relatives in Enniscorthy. Once back in Ireland, Eilis does not fall into her old life but rather a new one, making no mention of her marriage. She temporarily takes Rose's bookkeeping job which shows a promise of turning permanent. Nancy sets her up with a well-off bachelor, Jim Farrell. Eilis extends her stay to attend Nancy's wedding, and avoids reading Tony's letters. Jim asks her to stay and indicates he would like to propose marriage. Eilis cares for Jim, but is noncommittal, unsure what future she wants and seemingly distances herself from her New York life. Miss Kelly summons Eilis and issues a veiled threat, through gossip from the couple at City Hall, about how she knows Eilis is married. Remembering the stifling and restrictive life in Enniscorthy, and fed up with Miss Kelly's bullying, Eilis states her full married name, establishing who she is and rendering Miss Kelly powerless over her. Eilis tearfully informs her mother that she is married and is returning to Brooklyn. She leaves Jim a farewell letter. On the ocean crossing back to New York, Eilis offers guidance to a young Irish woman making her first trip to America, mirroring Georgina's advice to her. Once home in Brooklyn, Eilis reunites with Tony and they embrace.

Plot from Brooklyn (film)CC BY-SA 4.0