The Gift

Pete Devlin, a 17-year-old sailor, returns home to Brooklyn for Christmas leave from the Navy. His homecoming sets the stage for a quiet, intimate portrait of a father and son. The 1950s Brooklyn backdrop frames their emotional distance and the promise of reconciliation.

The local VFW post honors Billy with an honorary membership and stages a slide show of his prewar soccer glory. As the presentation runs, Billy interrupts to insist the display stop. The moment reveals the father's pride and his reluctance to dwell on past glories.

Pete visits Kathleen and shares his dream of marrying and moving to Paris as an artist. He learns Kathleen has a new boyfriend who doesn't entertain their Parisian fantasies. The news strains Pete and foreshadows conflict between love and loyalty.

Pete seeks a gun to confront Kathleen's new rival, hoping violence might resolve the situation. He asks Patsy, a local gun dealer, who refuses to sell to him. The refusal highlights Pete's fragile judgment and mounting desperation.

Teddy, Pete's younger brother, buys a gun with a reckless plan to rob a gas station. The act introduces a dangerous undercurrent in the family’s Christmas week. The gun will set up the later confrontations in the story.

Pete intervenes and takes the gun from Teddy, trying to keep him from spiraling into violence. The moment shows Pete's sense of responsibility clashing with his own volatile impulses. The gun will later factor into Kathleen's party incident.

Kathleen arrives at a party with her new boyfriend, Eddie Riggs, challenging Pete's hopes for their future. Pete keeps the gun with him, signaling how close danger and jealousy are to him. The party becomes a turning point as tensions mount.

With the gun in his possession, Pete contemplates using it against Eddie but ultimately throws it out the window. He reveals the volatility of his emotions and his desire to avoid hurting Kathleen's new partner. The moment marks a shift from threat to impulsive action.

Pete sucker-punches Eddie Riggs, knocking him out, and Kathleen leaves with him. A gun is found on Eddie, amplifying the sense of danger at the party. Pete’s act closes the romantic chapter with Kathleen for the moment.

Pete goes to the bar to confront his father about why he never talks about the accident. He longs for honesty and a stronger father-son connection. The father begins to open up, setting the stage for a deeper reconciliation.

The father recounts how he loved soccer, how the war and hospital treatment cost him his leg, and why he never wanted others to feel sorry for him. He remembers the moment the doctors cut off his leg and the sound of the saw. The revelation reframes the father’s silence as a shield rather than indifference.

A young man at the bar calls the father a 'gimp,' and Pete and his father defend themselves by throwing him out. The father then formally reintroduces his son to the bar as someone he’s proud of. They share a moment of solidarity, singing Irish songs as they ascend to their apartment.

Pete and his father reconnect through shared drinks and Irish songs, deepening their bond after years of silence. The warmth of the moment contrasts with the earlier pain, signaling a fragile reconciliation. They climb toward their apartment together, supported by a newfound mutual respect.

Pete departs Brooklyn to return to the Navy as his Christmas leave ends. He reflects that this modest gift of time meant more because his father loved him back. The older Pete’s voice-over frames the film as a coming-of-age story about responsibility and family.