Random Passage (2002)

Director:

Starring:    

Colm Meaney (Thomas Hutchings

Aoife McMahon (Mary "Bundle" Keane

Deborah Pollitt (Lavinia Andrews

Daniel Payne (Ned Andrews

Brenda Devine (Jennie Andrews

Ruth Lawrence (Hazel Andrews

Darragh Kelly (Tim Toope

Mike Daly (Ben Andrews

Mary-Lynn Bernard (Sarah Vincent

Michelle Rex (Meg Andrews

Philip Dinn (Josh Vincent

Mary Walsh (Mrs. Armstrong

Andy Jones (Mr. Armstrong

Des Walsh (Captain Brennan

Andrew Younghusband (Matt Escott).

TV mini-series. 

refugees from destitution from Ireland and England head for St. John's, Canada, but land up in a little place called Random, Canada

Spoiler Warning: below is a summary of the entire film.

Part 1..

Ireland, l805.  Agents of the landlord evict the Keane family from its little cabin.  Little Mary Keane, with bright red hair, and her mother start walking.  Mrs. Keane dies along the way and Mary winds up in an English work house in Coltsford District. 

Mary and her friend are mopping the floors.  They start kidding around and then start dancing together.  The woman in charge catches them and scolds them:  "You two are the most insolent pups I've ever had here."  She then gives the friends more work to do.  Mary speaks up saying that works to be done by another girl in the morning.  Nevertheless, the woman insists that Mary and her friend do the extra cleaning.  The friends start changing the sheets on the beds of sick men.  They sometimes have to push and pull the men up and down to get the sheets from beneath them.

In England Lavinia Andrews works as a maid in the wealthy Ellsworth home.  She straightens up in the office of her boss, who sees Lavinia admiring a fancy fan.  The boss woman tells Lavinia to take the fan  --  it's hers. 

Mary is sent to work as a maid for Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong who will be going to live in the New Found Land in Canada.  Mr. Armstrong is supposedly an upstanding Christian man who made a lot of money in the fish trade.  Mary is happy about leaving the work house and earning a bit of money for her labor.

Mary crosses the Atlantic Ocean headed for Canada. 

The Andrews family is a pretty large family.  Ned Andrews has returned from a trip and has brought little gifts for everyone.  Little Patience Andrews gets a doll and an Andrew's boy gets some little tin soldiers.  Lavinia, Ned's only sister, gets a dress that she likes very much.  The landlord arrives to interrupt the good times.  Mr. Ellsworth accuses Ned of stealing from him.  Ned says the cod fish he took, he caught on his own time.  Ellsworth says none of his time is his own, while he is working for Ellsworth.  The landlord wants them out of their lodging place by the week's end.   This is devastating news to the family. 

St. John's, Newfoundland.  Mary and the Armstrongs arrive in the new world.  Mary soon learns that Mrs. Armstrong is going to be one mean boss, as she yells at and criticizes Mary for the slightest thing. 

The Andrews family is also heading for St. John's, Newfoundland.  Lavinia is going to stay with Mrs. Ellsworth, but when she sees the whole family about to leave her behind, she decides to join them on their voyage.  The family are relieved she is coming with them.

Mary unpacks the beautiful dresses of Mrs. Armstrong.  She starts dancing around with them.  Mr. Armstrong sees her and watches her for a short while.  Mary is shocked to be discovered like this, but Mr. Armstrong doesn't seem to mind.  He just sends her to the store for some things the family will be needing.  The clerk at the general store sees a big fellow named Tim stealing some biscuits.  Some soldiers grab Tim, but he says the biscuits are for the young lady over there, namely Mary.  Without missing a beat, Mary joins in on the pretense that she asked Tim to get some biscuits for her.  Tim is let go.  At the house, Tim stops by to thank Mary for what she did for him. 

On the trip over the ocean, Hazel has great difficulties in childbirth.  Her little boy dies.  Lavinia brings the baby, all wrapped up in cloth, over to Ned, telling him:  "It's your son, Ned."   Ned takes the package and after a bit of hesitation, lets the package fall into the ocean.