Intermission

Director: John Crowley

Once you get past the shockingly violent opening five minutes which features Colin Farrell flirting with and then punching out a woman in order to rob her employer, this curious Irish film about both low-lives and other desperate people facing a crossroads (or intermission) in their lives manages to keep one wholly engaged. Frantic, foul-mouthed and hyper, Intermission is definitely not your typical Irish fare and it’s very reminiscent of Go with its wide variety of stories and characters that you know will eventually intersect in strange ways as the film continues. While primarily fueled with testosterone, one of the most fascinating characters in the film is Sally (Shirley Henderson), a bitterly broken hearted woman who, after a disgusting act of betrayal by a former lover, has let herself go. Her moving portrayal, along with a wonderful turn by Cillian Murphy as another heartbroken lad adrift in his life working at a Mega Mart, heads up a stellar cast that also features Kelly MacDonald and Colm Meaney. Although admittedly it is a bit hard to find yourselves rooting for the characters as the majority are lacking in redeeming characteristics and the film seems as though it's almost reveling in the ugliness of the situations, it will still interest aforementioned fans of Go and those looking for a completely different spin on Ireland.