Jimmy's Hall
Jimmy Gralton returns from New York and reopens his beloved community hall, only to meet opposition from the local parish.
The film earned $4.8M at the global box office.
2 wins & 3 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Jimmy Gralton
Oonagh
Father Sheridan
Marie
Commander Don Keane
Alice Gralton
Mossie
Main Cast & Characters
Jimmy Gralton
Played by Barry Ward
An Irish communist and activist who returns from America to reopen a community hall in 1930s Ireland, facing fierce opposition from Church and state.
Oonagh
Played by Simone Kirby
Jimmy's former love interest who remained in Ireland, now caught between her feelings for Jimmy and the constraints of rural Irish society.
Father Sheridan
Played by Jim Norton
The local Catholic priest who becomes Jimmy's primary antagonist, viewing the hall as a threat to Church authority and moral order.
Marie
Played by Ailéin O'Hogan
A young woman who finds liberation and joy at the hall, representing the youth eager for change and culture.
Commander Don Keane
Played by Brían F. O'Byrne
A representative of the Irish Free State government who enforces order and suppresses perceived communist threats.
Alice Gralton
Played by Aileen Henry
Jimmy's aging mother who worries about her son's activism and its consequences for the family.
Mossie
Played by Andrew Scott
A loyal friend and supporter of Jimmy who helps run the hall and stands by him through increasing pressure.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes The derelict Pearse-Connolly Hall stands abandoned in the Irish countryside, a relic of the past. Jimmy Gralton arrives back in County Leitrim after ten years in America, returning to his aging mother and the land he left behind.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Local young people approach Jimmy and plead with him to reopen the hall. They want a place to dance, learn, and gather away from Church control. Their enthusiasm and need ignites something in Jimmy.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 27 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Jimmy makes the active choice to reopen the Pearse-Connolly Hall. He leads the community in cleaning and rebuilding the space, committing himself to the cause despite knowing the consequences this will bring., moving from reaction to action.
At 53 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Father Sheridan publicly denounces Jimmy from the pulpit, naming him as a communist threat to Irish Catholic values. The Church formally declares war on the hall, turning the community conflict from private tension to public battle., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 80 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, The hall is attacked and burned by thugs while authorities turn a blind eye. The physical destruction of everything Jimmy built represents the death of his dream. The community's sanctuary is reduced to ashes., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Jimmy realizes that the community's spirit cannot be destroyed by burning a building. The people themselves are the hall. He chooses to face his deportation trial rather than flee, standing firm in his principles., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Jimmy's Hall's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Jimmy's Hall against these established plot points, we can identify how Ken Loach utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Jimmy's Hall within the history genre.
Ken Loach's Structural Approach
Among the 7 Ken Loach films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Jimmy's Hall exemplifies the director's characteristic narrative technique. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ken Loach filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional history films include The Attacks Of 26/11, Joyeux Noel and Rob Roy. For more Ken Loach analyses, see Looking for Eric, I, Daniel Blake and The Angels' Share.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
The derelict Pearse-Connolly Hall stands abandoned in the Irish countryside, a relic of the past. Jimmy Gralton arrives back in County Leitrim after ten years in America, returning to his aging mother and the land he left behind.
Theme
Jimmy's mother tells him the people need something to bring them together, that the community has lost its spirit since he left. The theme of community empowerment versus institutional control is established.
Worldbuilding
1932 rural Ireland is established as a place of poverty, emigration, and Church dominance. Jimmy reconnects with old friends and his former love Oonagh, now married. The hall's past glory and forced closure are remembered. Father Sheridan's authoritarian influence over the community is shown.
Disruption
Local young people approach Jimmy and plead with him to reopen the hall. They want a place to dance, learn, and gather away from Church control. Their enthusiasm and need ignites something in Jimmy.
Resistance
Jimmy wrestles with the decision to reopen the hall, knowing it will bring conflict. His mother and Oonagh serve as guides, encouraging him while warning of dangers. He weighs his desire for a quiet life against the community's need. Father Sheridan begins watching Jimmy with suspicion.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jimmy makes the active choice to reopen the Pearse-Connolly Hall. He leads the community in cleaning and rebuilding the space, committing himself to the cause despite knowing the consequences this will bring.
Mirror World
Oonagh becomes Jimmy's emotional anchor, representing the personal cost of political commitment. Their unresolved love and her trapped marriage to a man she doesn't love mirrors Jimmy's own entrapment between personal happiness and community service.
Premise
The hall comes alive with dancing, poetry readings, art classes, and political discussion. Jimmy teaches young people to question authority. The community flourishes with newfound joy and intellectual freedom. Jazz and Irish music fill the nights as people find liberation in cultural expression.
Midpoint
Father Sheridan publicly denounces Jimmy from the pulpit, naming him as a communist threat to Irish Catholic values. The Church formally declares war on the hall, turning the community conflict from private tension to public battle.
Opposition
The Church and local establishment intensify their campaign. Families are pressured to keep children away. Landlords threaten tenants who attend. Jimmy faces anonymous threats. Father Sheridan lobbies political authorities to take action. Some supporters begin to waver under the pressure.
Collapse
The hall is attacked and burned by thugs while authorities turn a blind eye. The physical destruction of everything Jimmy built represents the death of his dream. The community's sanctuary is reduced to ashes.
Crisis
Jimmy contemplates leaving Ireland again, defeated. The community reels from the violence. Oonagh and his mother grieve with him. The dark night forces Jimmy to question whether his stand was worth the destruction it brought upon everyone.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jimmy realizes that the community's spirit cannot be destroyed by burning a building. The people themselves are the hall. He chooses to face his deportation trial rather than flee, standing firm in his principles.
Synthesis
Jimmy is arrested and faces a deportation hearing. The community rallies in his support. Even as authorities order his deportation to America, the people gather to bid him farewell. The confrontation with Father Sheridan reveals the moral bankruptcy of those who persecuted Jimmy.
Transformation
As Jimmy is escorted to the ship for deportation, hundreds of community members line the road singing and showing their solidarity. Oonagh gives him a final farewell. Though exiled, Jimmy's spirit lives on in the awakened community. The hall may be gone, but its purpose endures in the people.