(1996) Dir Stephen Frears

Bimbo (Donal O’Kelly) is brokenhearted at being laid off. His best friend Larry (Colm Meaney) hasn’t held down a job in ages. During World Cup fever these two fast friends cook up a get-quick-rich scheme that may be a dream come true or a living nightmare.

‘My name is Paula Spencer. I am thirty-nine years old. It was my birthday last week. I was married for eighteen years. My husband died last year. He was shot by the Guards. He left me a year before that. I threw him out. His name was Charles Spencer; everyone called him Charlo.’

The Woman Who Walked Into Doors is one of Roddy Doyle’s finest achievements, the heart-rending story of a woman struggling to reclaim her dignity after a violent, abusive marriage and a worsening drink problem. Paula Spencer recalls her contented childhood, the audacity she learned as a teenager, the exhilaration of her romance with Charlo, and the marriage to him that left her powerless. Capturing both her vulnerability and her strength, Doyle gives Paula a voice that is real and unforgettable. Lean, sexy, funny and poignant, The Woman Who Walked Into Doors shows, yet again, that Roddy Doyle has an unparalleled gift for transforming ordinary life into great literature.