Brooklyn Page #16

Eilis rolls her eyes at Nancy.

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 77.

109 CONTINUED:
109

NANCY:

I’m so sorry about Rose.

EILIS:

Thank you.

NANCY:

It was a beautiful funeral, Mrs

Lacey.

EILIS:

How are you?

Nancy wiggles her fingers, and Eilis sees the engagement ring

on her finger.

EILIS:

(excited)

No!

MARY:

I knew. But I wanted to let Nancy

tell you herself.

NANCY:

I’m so glad you can come to the

wedding.

EILIS:

Can I?

NANCY:

Your mother accepted the invitation

on your behalf.

EILIS:

When is it?

NANCY:

The 27th of August.

Eilis’s smile freezes perceptibly.

NANCY:

Will you come out with George and

me tomorrow night? Annette wants to

see you, too.

Eilis looks at Mary for permission.

MARY:

Oh, I don’t mind. I’ll have to find

you a key. I don’t want you getting

me out of bed.

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 78.

109 CONTINUED:
109

NANCY:

We all want to hear what life in

New York is like.

EILIS:

I’ll try and think of something to

say.

Nancy rejoins her parents, who are standing a little way

away, waiting for her.

EILIS:

I’m booked to go back to New York

on the twenty-first.

MARY:

(blithe)

Oh, you can wait an extra week to

see your best friend married.

110 EXT. CEMETERY. DAY 110

Eilis walking down a path in her local church in Ireland.

She’s holding a wreath. Close on her hands - she takes her

wedding ring out of her pocket, slips it on.

She arrives at Rose’s grave. She kneels, places the wreath on

the grave, stands up. She’s sombre, near tears, but together.

EILIS:

I’ve come home. Just for...

An elderly lady is coming down the path. Eilis stops, self-

conscious, and waits until she’s walked past.

EILIS:

Just for a month or so. I know

mother needed me home. There’s so

much to do. Mother wants me to go

through all your clothes, and take

what I want. I can’t bear to take

anything. (Beat) Rose, I got

married. I married Tony. Just

before I left. Nobody knows, not

even Mother. Only you, now. We were

married at City Hall, and when I go

back we’ll get married properly.

I’ll tell people then. I can’t

believe I’m married to someone you

will never know. But you’d like

him. I know you would. He’s sweet,

and funny, and he has these

wonderful eyes that..

She stops and sighs heavily.

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 79.

110 CONTINUED:
110

EILIS:

I wish..Oh, I wish everything were

different. (Beat) It’s so strange,

being in the house without you.

Every time I hear even the

slightest noise I think it’s you. I

pray for you every day. I hope you

pray for us.

She closes her eyes, momentarily, and then walks away.

111 INT. DINING ROOM, EILIS’S HOUSE. DAY 111

Eilis and Mary, sitting at the table in the front room,

plodding through the pile of letters that have to be written.

MARY:

So now.

She picks up the next one in the pile.

MARY:

Mrs O’Toole from Cush.

EILIS:

Do we really have to do this?

Getting a letter of condolence

isn’t like getting a birthday

present, is it? What if Mrs O’Toole

from Cush writes back to thank you

for your thank you?

MARY:

Then I’ll thank her.

EILIS:

And you’d be happy to spend the

rest of your life like that?

MARY:

It’s not as if I have anything else

to do. Nor anybody else to talk to.

It might as well be Mrs O’Toole

from Cush.

EILIS:

(wearily)

What do you want me to say?

Just at that moment there is the sound of a car horn - two

beeps, a cheery greeting.

EILIS:

That’ll be Nancy and George and

Annette.

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 80.

111 CONTINUED:
111

MARY:

Off you go. Enjoy yourself.

112 EXT. EILIS’S HOUSE. EVENING 112

Waiting outside in the gleaming four-door saloon car are

Nancy, GEORGE, her fiancee, and his friend JIM. Both men are

sporting the Rugby Club trademark blazers and Brylcreem.

There is no sign of Annette. The men are in the front seats -

it’s George’s car - and Nancy is in the back. Eilis pauses

momentarily when she sees Jim. She smiles thinly and gets in.

113 INT. GEORGE’S CAR. EVENING 113

Eilis settles herself in and George starts the car.

NANCY:

Eilis, this is Jim Farrell.

EILIS:

(cool)

Hello.

Jim turns around and shakes Eilis’s hand. He’s confident,

direct, sincere, manly. If he didn’t come with rugby-club

baggage, he might even be described as extremely attractive.

JIM:

It’s a great pleasure to meet you.

Eilis nods. When Jim has turned around again, Eilis makes a

why-didn’t you-tell-me? face at Nancy.

JIM:

(to George)

We could try the Connaught Hotel

bar. There may be a few of the

fellas from the rugby club there.

Eilis looks at Nancy, wanting her to say something; Nancy

doesn’t even know there’s something to say.

EILIS:

(tartly)

Do you have to be with other fellas

from the rugby club all the time?

Jim turns around again. He’s amused.

JIM:

No. But Nancy told us that we

wouldn’t be allowed to talk to you,

because you had too much to say to

each other. So we’re looking for

company.

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 81.

113 CONTINUED:
113

EILIS:

(embarrassed)

Oh. Well.

She should probably apologise, but she doesn’t.

GEORGE:

Do you not like the fellas from the

rugby club, Eilis?

He tries to catch Jim’s eye, but Jim doesn’t want to get

involved in this.

EILIS:

I don’t, particularly, George.

Nancy nudges her and makes a pleading face. Eilis ignores

her.

EILIS:

When I first went to America, I

missed every single thing about

Enniscorthy except one.

JIM:

We’re not all the same.

EILIS:

You all look the same. It’s the

blazer and the hair-oil.

Jim and George look at each other and laugh with recognition.

114 EXT. CONNAUGHT HOTEL DRIVEWAY. EVENING 114

They get out of the car. Jim and George walk ahead - Eilis

hangs back deliberately so that she can talk to Nancy.

EILIS:

Why has he come? And where’s

Annette?

NANCY:

He saw you at Mass on Sunday

morning, and he asked George if we

could arrange a drink, just the

four of us. And I knew you wouldn’t

come if I told you. He’s very nice,

so don’t be too hard on him.

EILIS:

Is this the same Jim Farrell that

was engaged to Cathleen Cassidy?

What happened to her?

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 82.

114 CONTINUED:
114

NANCY:

He broke it off. He didn’t think

she was serious about him. He was

very upset for a while, but he’s

over her now.

EILIS:

Nancy, I’m..

She hesitates.

EILIS:

I’m going back.

NANCY:

He knows that. But you can have a

bit of fun while you’re here, can’t

you?

George and Jim wait for the girls to catch them up. George

and Nancy then walk ahead. Jim slows his pace so that he can

talk to Eilis privately.

JIM:

How is your mother?

EILIS:

Oh, she’s...Well, she’s sad. (Beat)

And she’s got much older, very

quickly.

Rate this script:3.7 / 3 votes