neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Intermission
	John Crowley Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Kelly Macdonald, Colm Meaney, Shirley Henderson, David Wilmot 2003		Nervy, funny and, occasionally, as staggering as a sucker punch, the brash Irish ensemble film "Intermission" — a cross-section of Dubliners searching for love and affirmation — never relies on the quaintness that serves as baggage on some of Ireland's cinematic exports. As a result, it feels like a Gaelic version of a multi-layered dramedy from director Robert Altman ("Short Cuts," "Gosford Park"), with its interlinked characters and plotlines. "Intermission," which features screenwriter Mark O'Rowe's sharp dialogue and rising star Colin Farrell ("Phone Booth") in a supporting role, is simply invigorating, even though it's just ordinary people facing crises and getting thwacked by random nuttiness. John (Cillian Murphy of "28 Days Later"), a slacker who toils in a supermarket, pines for the ex-girlfriend he cast aside, Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald of "Trainspotting"). Now, she's involved with an older, married bank manager. Deirdre's sister Sally (Shirley Henderson of "Topsy-Turvy"), angry and unkempt, is still smarting from a relationship that ended in abuse and betrayal. Fanatical police detective Jerry Lynch (Colm Meaney of "The Commitments"), who has a hankering for publicity, is in pursuit of Lehiff (Farrell), a short-tempered punk who plays by no one's rules. And there are others, all kept spinning by director John Crowley.