Taglines: Small town delinquents. Shady cops. Pretty good girls. And very, very, bad boys.
Intermission is an urban love story about people adrift and their convoluted journeys in the search for some kind of love. When the desperately insecure and emotionally inarticulate John breaks up with Deirdre to ‘give her a little test’ his plan backfires leaving her broken-hearted and him alone and miserable.
Through chance and coincidence, their break-up triggers a roller coaster ride of interweaving escapades in the lives of everyone around them. Intermission presents a slice of life, the passage between breaking up and making up, exploring how our lives intersect, and the power we all possess to affect the lives of those around us.
Intermission is a 2003 Irish black comedy crime film directed by John Crowley and written by Mark O’Rowe. The film, set in Dublin, Ireland, has been shot in a documentary-like style, and contains several storylines which cross over one another. Starring are Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Kelly Macdonald, Colm Meaney, Shirley Henderson, David Wilmot, Kerry Condon, Johnny Thompson and Brían F. O’Byrne.
About the Story
The film opens with a cashier being charmed by Lehiff (Colin Farrell) who after flirting with the girl smashes her in the face and steals from the till. It quickly moves to John (Cillian Murphy) and Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald) who are a recently separated young couple. The film will revolve around their extended friends.
It is quickly revealed that Lehiff is a petty criminal always involved in trouble. Lehiff’s nemesis, Garda Detective Jerry Lynch (Colm Meaney) who presents himself as a saviour whose main mission is to fight the “scumbags” on Dublin’s streets. He enlists the help of Ben Campion (Tomás Ó Súilleabháin), an ambitious film-maker and the bane of his “go-softer” boss, who considers Lynch too nasty a subject to be shown on a mainstream “docusoap” series on Irish television.
Next up is Mick (Brian F. O’Byrne) a Dublin bus driver. While on his route Sally (Shirley Henderson) boards and is shown to be deeply insecure about her looks. She asks Mick about some hair on her lip and he mocks her playfully. As the bus journey continues a young boy called Philip is shown throwing a rock at his bus resulting in a bad crash that Ben winds up shooting the aftermath of. Ben is told to focus his attention on Sally, Deirdre’s sister, who helped the passengers after the double-decker bus crashed. She grows bitter when Deirdre flaunts her new boyfriend, Sam (Michael McElhatton), a middle-aged bank manager who has left his wife of 14 years, Noeleen, leaving her to question her own self-worth as a woman and wife.
John is utterly lost without Deirdre and is determined to win her back. Mick having become suspended from his job and low on funds come up with a scheme involving Lehiff and Sam. They kidnap Sam and force him to go to his bank to get money for a ransom. Just as the plan seems to be working out everything goes wrong as Sam, is assaulted by his enraged wife Noeleen on the street and Gardai are forced to intervene. Mick and John flee the scene without their money.
Intermission (2003)
Directed by: John Crowley
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cillian Murphy, Kelly Macdonald, Colm Meaney, Shirley Henderson, David Wilmot, Kerry Condon, Johnny Thompson, Brían F. O’Byrne
Screenplay by: Mark O’Rowe
Production Design by: Tom Conroy
Cinematography by: Ryszard Lenczewski
Film Editing by: Lucia Zucchetti
Costume Design by: Lorna Marie Mugan
Art Direction by: Susie Cullen
Music by: John Murphy
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, some sexual content and violence.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures (United Kingdom), IFC Films (United States)
Release Date: August 29, 2003
Views: 69
