Another Shore

The film opens by labeling itself as 'a comedy' before the word is changed to 'a tragedy.' The sequence is overlaid with shamrocks and Irish imagery while Molly Malone plays, signaling an Ireland-set story.

Gulliver Sheils resigns from his Revenue Commissioners career in Dublin after taking a small pension, choosing to pursue a one-way trip to the South Seas instead of steady work. He resolves to be rewarded by a wealthy beneficiary rather than earning his living. The plan rests on luck more than effort.

He spends every day except Sunday perched on a park bench in St Stephen's Green, hoping to encounter a fallen wealthy elderly person who will reward him with enough money. The routine underpins his dream of escaping to Rarotonga. The park becomes the stage for his calculated patience.

On a Sunday he fantasizes about living in Rarotonga while on an Irish beach and meets Jennifer, an attractive Anglo-Irish woman who becomes intrigued that Gulliver is the first man to ignore her. Their initial meeting plants a counterpoint to his scheme. Jennifer's curiosity signals a potential complicating factor.

The next week, a refined Scottish gentleman named Alastair McNeil sits beside Gulliver for a few minutes before going to a bar, signaling the arrival of a second potential ally or foil. Gulliver then moves to another quiet bar, continuing his routine in altered company.

Gulliver reads about a car crash on Grafton Street and realizes this location offers him better opportunities to be found by a wealthy victim. He heads there to wait for the next accident, positioning himself for reward via chance rather than effort.

When two women crash nearby, Gulliver declines to act as a witness, choosing not to involve himself in the incident. The moment shows his growing strategic distance from ethics in favor of potential gain. The accident remains a potential source of reward but at a cost to others.

A week later, on the steps of the local court, the woman from the beach unexpectedly sees him again, reconnecting their shared interest. He then encounters her later in a bar with her friends, deepening the complicated relationship around his plan.

Back on the Grafton Street steps, Gulliver is harassed for his persistent vigil. To soften the crowd, he acquires a small performing dog from an ill street busker to draw attention and tame the reaction.

The next accident involves an elderly lady being struck by a car as she crosses. Gulliver rushes to help her, but his reward is only a luncheon voucher, underscoring the precariousness of his scheme.

Jennifer visits Gulliver's world again and they dine at her palatial home, where Gulliver finally explains his plan to be rescued and funded for a life in the South Seas. She seems to like him, but he abruptly runs off, leaving the emotional tug-of-war unresolved.

Back on Grafton Street, a Rolls-Royce hits a boy on a bicycle and the driver claims greater injury. The two men later go to a bar together, revealing shared dreams of escape and different focal points (South Seas vs Tahiti).

The two men meet again in a lawyer's office where the driver laments his wife's elopement with his chauffeur. They hatch a plan to travel to the South Seas together, much to Jennifer's dismay.

On the way to the boat, Gulliver's car crashes on Grafton Street, leaving him with a broken arm. The accident disrupts the plan and shifts the trajectory of the voyage and loyalties.

Jennifer arrives and her friend Yellow takes Gulliver's place on the trip. Gulliver remains with Jennifer, marries her, and returns to his job, closing the loop on his dream through a return to ordinary life.