Breakfast on Pluto (15)

Director: Neil Jordan
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Stephen Rea, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson
UK, 2005, 2 hours 9 minutes

A piece of Irish whimsy full of Jordan’s familiar themes of sexual discovery, the hypocrisy of the church, and, the impact the Troubles has on the people of Ireland. The cream of Irish acting talent - Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea and Brendan Gleeson - all give fine turns as respectively the troubled priest, the fey magician and Uncle Bulgaria. But it is Cillian Murphy’s movie. His extraordinary portrayal of Patrick ‘Kitten’ Braden, an endearing, witty, clever, and deceptively tough young transvestite is one of the finest performances of the year. Kitten turns his back on the bigotry of small town Ulster and sets off to London in search of his long lost Mother. With the aid of his wit, charm, and a sweet refusal to let anyone or anything change who he is, Kitten sails unscathed through a series of hilarious misadventures in a lovingly recreated 70s glam rock scene. Mixing camp comedy with dark humour there’s plenty to enjoy in the eternally optimistic Kitten’s search for love and happiness.

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