Eilis is a fictional character, but her journey—leaving Ireland for opportunity, experiencing homesickness, adapting, and facing choices—is highly representative of many real Irish immigrant women in the 1950s.

A fictional character representing the established, often Catholic, ethnic communities (in this case, Italian-American) that Irish immigrants interacted and formed relationships with in Brooklyn.

A fictional character, but accurately represents the vital role real Catholic priests and parishes played in sponsoring Irish immigrants, finding them lodging and jobs, and providing community support.

A fictional character representing the life and potential future Eilis left behind in Ireland.

A fictional character accurately representing the landladies (often Irish themselves) who ran boarding houses for young immigrant women, providing a structured and communal living environment.

A fictional character representing the family members left behind in Ireland and the sacrifices made to enable emigration.

Accurately reflects the historical reality of significant emigration from Ireland due to economic stagnation and lack of opportunity, particularly for young people.

The system where priests in America would sponsor immigrants, arranging passage, housing, and employment, was a common and crucial facilitator for Irish immigration.

Portrays the conditions of ocean liner travel for immigrants in the 1950s, including shared cabins and the likelihood of seasickness, accurately.

Boarding houses specifically for young Irish women, often run by landladies from the community and providing meals and rules, were a common feature of immigrant life.

Retail positions, particularly in department stores, were accessible jobs for many young immigrant women arriving in cities like New York.

The film vividly and accurately portrays the profound sense of loneliness and longing for home that was a common emotional experience for immigrants adapting to a new country.

Eilis's gradual adoption of American fashion, makeup, and social confidence accurately reflects the assimilation process immigrants underwent.

Educational opportunities, like night school for skills such as bookkeeping, were pursued by immigrants seeking to improve their prospects.

Intermingling and romance between different Catholic immigrant groups, like the Irish and Italians, was common in neighborhoods like Brooklyn.

Church-sponsored dances were central social events in the 1950s, providing a supervised environment for young Catholic men and women to meet.

Immigrants did travel back for significant family events like funerals, though permanent return migration was less common than depicted for dramatic tension in the film.

Accurately portrays the powerful emotional conflict many immigrants faced between loyalty to their homeland/family and the new life/opportunities found abroad.

Accurately portrays the visual aesthetic, social constraints, and economic atmosphere of a small Irish town in the post-war era. (Partially filmed on location).

Effectively recreates the look and feel of Brooklyn neighborhoods (Irish, Italian), streetscapes, brownstones, and public spaces like Coney Island. (Mostly filmed in Montreal).

The shipboard scenes convincingly portray the environment of sea travel for immigrants during that period.

The set design accurately reflects the communal living spaces, dining rooms, and bedrooms typical of boarding houses for young women at the time.

Represents the type of upscale retail environment where Eilis finds work, reflecting 1950s store design and customer service expectations.

Meticulously researched costumes accurately reflect the clothing styles of the early 1950s in both Ireland and America, highlighting Eilis's personal transformation.

Portrays period-appropriate social interactions, dating norms, dance hall etiquette, and expectations within the family and community accurately.

Effectively contrasts the constrained, somewhat muted atmosphere of post-war Ireland with the vibrant, optimistic, and economically booming post-war America.