Brooklyn Page #3

There is another door, apparently leading into the next

cabin. A sign on the door says ‘UNLOCK WHEN NOT IN USE’.

Eilis pushes it open and sees two middle-aged women

unpacking.

EILIS:

Sorry.

She shuts it again quickly. She doesn’t know what to do, so

lies down on the bottom bunk with her hands behind her head,

staring. She closes her eyes, but suddenly the cabin door

bursts open and a glamorous blonde, late thirties, bustles in

to the room with a large trunk. This is GEORGINA, her cabin-

mate.

GEORGINA:

Off!

Eilis sits up and stares at her, uncomprehending. Georgina

waves a ticket at her.

GEORGINA (CONT’D)

Number one. Bottom bunk. That’s

mine. You’re on the top.

Eilis scrambles up the ladder to her bed. She can’t sit up -

the ceiling is too low - so she has to lie down, and is

therefore unable to make eye-contact with Georgina throughout

the scene.

GEORGINA:

This is hell. Never again.

EILIS:

(trying to be friendly)

Never again to America?

GEORGINA:

The mistake was coming home from

America in the first place. I’d do

anything to get out of this

horrible cabin, and I mean

anything. Let’s go for a smoke.

EILIS:

I don’t.

Georgina rolls her eyes.

GEORGINA:

Suit yourself. I’ll see you later.

Unless I find a nice man in First

to smoke with.

She bustles out.

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 10A.

14 INT. DINING ROOM. NIGHT 14

Eilis is on her own in the Third Class dining room. She is

eating a plate of very brown and very unappetising-looking

mutton stew. She eats as much as she can, although a lot of

the meat is gristle, which she has to extract from her mouth

with a napkin, as discreetly as possible.

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 11.

14 CONTINUED:
14

She finishes, dabs her mouth with the napkin. The underemployed

waiter comes over immediately to clear away her

plate.

WAITER:

It’s good to see that not

everybody’s put off their dinner by

the weather forecast.

Eilis looks at him blankly.

WAITER (CONT’D)

(cheerful)

It’s supposed to be a rough one

tonight, so none of the other

passengers are eating. A few

spoonfuls of soup, maybe, but not

the mutton stew.

Comprehension dawns. Eilis looks stricken.

15 INT. CABIN. NIGHT 15

Eilis is standing in her nightgown, clutching her toothbrush

and toothpaste. She is waiting outside the locked bathroom.

She taps on the door. Nothing. She waits a few moments. She

puts her ear to the door, but the only noise comes from the

ships engines - in Third Class, a loud, deep constant. She

grimaces suddenly, and closes her eyes. She’s sweating. She

knocks on the bathroom door again.

EILIS:

(to the door)

Oh, please unlock it.

She can’t wait any longer. She stumbles out into the corridor

looking for a toilet...

16 INT. CORRIDOR. NIGHT 16

...Nothing. She tries to go upstairs to the Second Class

cabins, but the door at the bottom of the stairs is locked.

She’s desperate now. In an alcove of the corridor, she sees a

mop and bucket. She picks up the bucket, ready to throw up in

it - but as soon as she does so, she realises that her

problems are at the other end. She puts the bucket on the

floor, squats over it. She looks around desperately for

something to wipe herself with, but there is only the mop.

She hates herself, and everything that has led to her being

here. She starts to throw up.

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 12.

17 INT. CABIN. NIGHT 17

Eilis comes back in, holding the mop and the bucket. She

knocks on the bathroom door again. No answer, but this time

she hears the sound of retching. She pukes into the bucket.

For a moment there is a little contrapuntal symphony of

retching.

18 INT. CABIN. DAY 18

Eilis is asleep on the bottom bunk. Close on her face - green-

tinged, sweaty. A hand touches her face, and Eilis opens her

eyes. It’s Georgina.

EILIS:

I’m so sorry about the smell. And

the bucket.

GEORGINA:

(gently)

Oh, don’t worry. The whole boat

stinks. Even First Class. I’ve just

been thrown out of there, by the

way, so you’ll have me throwing up

in here too.

EILIS:

The bathroom door was locked all

night.

GEORGINA:

(angry on Eilis’s behalf)

Oh, those bastards. That’s what

people do. They keep the bathroom

for themselves on rough nights.

We’ll fix them.

She fishes in a handbag and finds a nail-file. Deftly, she

unlocks the bathroom door. There’s nobody in there. Quickly,

she pulls her trunk into the bathroom and jams it against the

door on the other side. There is now no room in front of the

toilet.

GEORGINA:

It won’t be very comfortable. But

at least it’s ours now.

They smile at each other. Almost immediately there is a

furious knocking on the bathroom door. Georgina hurls herself

against the door with a fury.

GEORGINA:

F*** off! Do you hear me? F*** off!

If you’d been nice last night, we

would have played fair.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 13.

18 CONTINUED:
18

GEORGINA (CONT'D)

But now you’ve got no toilet for

five days, you bastards.

Eilis laughs, and then winces.

GEORGINA:

Go on, you can use it. I’m going to

get us some water. That’s all

you’re allowed. You’ll bring it all

up again, but you won’t feel so

bad. And you’ll be right as rain

after a night’s sleep.

19 INT. CABIN. DAY 19

Georgina comes into the cabin. Eilis emerges from the shower,

drying herself. She’s looking better.

GEORGINA:

(mock-dramatic)

We have a peace treaty.

EILIS:

With next door?

GEORGINA:

Yes. They have given their solemn

word never to lock the bathroom

door when they’re not using it.

They know they’re out of their

depth with me.

The women smile at each other.

GEORGINA (CONT’D)

Are you going to America to live?

EILIS:

Yes.

GEORGINA:

You have papers and everything?

EILIS:

Yes. And a job.

GEORGINA:

You have family there?

EILIS:

No.

A beat.

(CONTINUED)

'Brooklyn' YELLOW Script Dated 24th April 2014 14.

19 CONTINUED:
19

GEORGINA:

Well. You’ll make friends easy

enough. Where will you be staying?

EILIS:

In Brooklyn. New York.

Georgina smiles wrily.

GEORGINA:

Ah. Well, try and remember that

sometimes it’s nice to meet people

who don’t know your auntie. Just

every now and again.

20 EXT. DECK. DAY 20

Eilis and Georgina are leaning on the rails of the third-

class deck, looking out to sea.

EILIS:

I haven’t been sick for hours.

GEORGINA:

It’s nice, isn’t it?

EILIS:

I’m very hungry.

GEORGINA:

That’s why you haven’t been sick

for hours. We can eat soon. Maybe

tomorrow.

21 INT. CANTEEN. NIGHT 21

Georgina and Eilis eating in the canteen. The journey is

nearly over, so there are more diners now. Both women look

tired and pale. Georgina studies Eilis.

GEORGINA:

Oh, dear. We’ll have to do

something with you. They’ll put you

in quarantine or something if you

try to enter the country looking

like that.

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