collected writings

Intermission

As Roger Ebert said, "Intermission" is proof that "Pulp Fiction" is the most influential film in the last several decades.

"Intermission" rolls through every possible viewer reaction a film could elicit... laughter, passion, pathos, exhilaration, on an on, and yet never seems to repeat itself or run out of steam.

Thanks largely to the incredible assemble cast, showcasing the top Irish acting talent, the disjointed pace and irreverent attitudes towards conventional morality and storytelling conventions never becomes stale, creating a very enjoyable film that offers a fine perspective beyond the cookie-cutter fare offered by Hollywood.

New director John Crowley and writer Mark O'Rowe lead a series of rowdy, bawdy, and lovely characters through this cause and effect adventure with deft skill. While some of the characters remain stock stereotypes, and somewhat outlive their effective role in the plot, other characters offer truth in the film that is sometimes downright brutal, and humor in a dark world view.

Take Lehiff, played by Colin Farrell, the most stateside well know actor among dozens that populate "Intermission." In the opening sequence, he quite nearly charms the pants off a bank teller before the story stops mid-thought, and spins off in a completely different direction.

Before this shock can wear off, the story whirlwinds past other characters and situations, each as quirky and devilish as the next.

There's Jerry (Colm Meaney, of "Star Trek Deep Space Nine" fame), a cop whose sizeable ego is inflamed by a reality type camera crew egging on his rough and ready Celtic attitude.

Or there's Sally (Shirley Henderson), obsessive about the shape and quality of her face, but who somehow seems to miss plucking her Burt Reynolds' mustache. Oscar (David Wilmot) cruises from bar to bar looking for middle-aged women to seduce.

John (Cillian Murphy from "28 Days Later") hates his supermarket job, and mindlessly suggests that he and his beautiful girlfriend Deirdre (Kelly MacDonald) take an "intermission." She turns around and hooks up with Sam (Michael McElhatton), a boring middle aged married man, leaving John with acute anxiety.

Of course, none of this really matters, and almost as soon as some meaning is pulled from the story, everything changes and the film takes a different direction. Sometimes, just for the filmmaker's kicks, a little boy - completely unrelated to anyone else - shows up and literally throws a wrench in the machinery.

Trying to make sense of the plot, and to summarize it for this article, is tempting fate. With evident skill, director Crowley pulls us through the twists and turns of bank robberies and love affairs (both successful and disastrous), as well as all the poetry and profanity one could expect from the Irish. "Intermission" is an achievement, in that nothing is lost, when it seems that everything teeters on the brink of collapsing.