Breakfast on Pluto (2005)
Country: EIRE/GB
Technical: col 135m
Director: Neil Jordan
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, Brendan Gleeson, Ian Hart, Steven Waddington
Synopsis:
Ireland: the priest's cleaning lady deposits her offspring at the door of its Father (in both senses), witnessed by a pair of chattering robins. Brought up by an unsympathetic proxy, the child's openly transsexual leanings scandalize the community so that he takes to the road in search of his beloved mother.
Review:
There are echoes of Butcher Boy and The Crying Game in this, Jordan's first wholly successful attempt at comedy, for want of a bertter word. It is the presence of serious underlying themes (the armed struggle, prostitution - both dealt with irreverently) that no doubt makes the difference for his provocative muse. The lead performance, with Murphy looking like a young Marc Bolan, captures much of the freewheeling spirit of the 1970s scene but is almost too knowing, too detached from the woes he traverses. He is creditably supported by a cast of Jordan regulars. It is above all the innocence and sexlessness of the hero that defines the film, at times pushing it into the realms of Howerd/Williams caricature. But there is plenty here that is arresting visually, in spite of the frequent reminders of literary origins by way of chapter headings, and the incongruity keeps one entertained, as in the scene where our hero/heroine picks up on a peepshow punter's renditon of 'How much is that doggie ...', incorrectly as it turns out.
Country: EIRE/GB
Technical: col 135m
Director: Neil Jordan
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, Brendan Gleeson, Ian Hart, Steven Waddington
Synopsis:
Ireland: the priest's cleaning lady deposits her offspring at the door of its Father (in both senses), witnessed by a pair of chattering robins. Brought up by an unsympathetic proxy, the child's openly transsexual leanings scandalize the community so that he takes to the road in search of his beloved mother.
Review:
There are echoes of Butcher Boy and The Crying Game in this, Jordan's first wholly successful attempt at comedy, for want of a bertter word. It is the presence of serious underlying themes (the armed struggle, prostitution - both dealt with irreverently) that no doubt makes the difference for his provocative muse. The lead performance, with Murphy looking like a young Marc Bolan, captures much of the freewheeling spirit of the 1970s scene but is almost too knowing, too detached from the woes he traverses. He is creditably supported by a cast of Jordan regulars. It is above all the innocence and sexlessness of the hero that defines the film, at times pushing it into the realms of Howerd/Williams caricature. But there is plenty here that is arresting visually, in spite of the frequent reminders of literary origins by way of chapter headings, and the incongruity keeps one entertained, as in the scene where our hero/heroine picks up on a peepshow punter's renditon of 'How much is that doggie ...', incorrectly as it turns out.
Country: EIRE/GB
Technical: col 135m
Director: Neil Jordan
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea, Brendan Gleeson, Ian Hart, Steven Waddington
Synopsis:
Ireland: the priest's cleaning lady deposits her offspring at the door of its Father (in both senses), witnessed by a pair of chattering robins. Brought up by an unsympathetic proxy, the child's openly transsexual leanings scandalize the community so that he takes to the road in search of his beloved mother.
Review:
There are echoes of Butcher Boy and The Crying Game in this, Jordan's first wholly successful attempt at comedy, for want of a bertter word. It is the presence of serious underlying themes (the armed struggle, prostitution - both dealt with irreverently) that no doubt makes the difference for his provocative muse. The lead performance, with Murphy looking like a young Marc Bolan, captures much of the freewheeling spirit of the 1970s scene but is almost too knowing, too detached from the woes he traverses. He is creditably supported by a cast of Jordan regulars. It is above all the innocence and sexlessness of the hero that defines the film, at times pushing it into the realms of Howerd/Williams caricature. But there is plenty here that is arresting visually, in spite of the frequent reminders of literary origins by way of chapter headings, and the incongruity keeps one entertained, as in the scene where our hero/heroine picks up on a peepshow punter's renditon of 'How much is that doggie ...', incorrectly as it turns out.