by SARAH ROWLAND

Capote. Brokeback Mountain. C.R.A.Z.Y. Narnia(?). There’s no denying 2005 was the year of the homo in film, so it’s only fitting that 2006 is turning out to be the year of the tranny. This week alone, two critically acclaimed gender benders are slated to open in Montreal theatres. There’s Felicity Huffman’s superb TransAmerica (see page 28 for review) and Neil Jordan’s exceptional Breakfast on Pluto, the heart-warming and hilarious tale of an Irish crossdresser named Kitten (played brilliantly by Cillian Murphy), who heads to London in search of her birth mother.

Of course, Jordan’s no stranger to the shemale protagonists. His ’92 crossover hit The Crying Game followed the unlikely love story of IRA defector (Stephen Rea) and the adorable hairdresser (Jaye Davidson) who just happened to have a little secret between her legs. Set in the ’70s, Jordan’s latest chick-with-dick flick is also played out against an IRA backdrop and features Rea in an equally intriguing, albeit smaller role. But don’t be fooled. This is not The Crying Game II.

“Obviously, there are some similar themes that Neil has dealt with in the past, but I think he handles them very differently here,” says Murphy, who’s talking in a Toronto hotel lobby during the world’s biggest junket, aka TIFF. “I mean Kitten’s not trying to fool anyone that she’s a lady. So there’s none of that going on. I see it as more of a companion piece to The Butcher Boy [Jordan’s depressing 1997 indie].”

Learning to walk the walk

That’s debatable. True, both films were based on novels written by Pat McCabe, but one can’t help notice that Kitten never takes a dump on his neighbour’s furniture, nor does she ever do anything with ill intent. In fact, unlike most of Jordan’s previous works, there’s effectively nothing dark about Breakfast on Pluto. This, according to the Irish director, is a reflection of the times in his native land.

“Since the violent politics that take place in the film’s background are virtually finished in Ireland right now, I feel I can make a film with a different perspective where the central character’s attitudes to those issues are on the side of the angels.”

For Murphy—who only recently cracked Hollywood with such villainous roles as Scarecrow in Batman Begins and the psycho in Red Eye—taking on such a saintly misfit meant that he had to turn to friends and acquaintances for inspiration. “I’m far too cynical—you know what I mean? I think it’s just foolish to be that trusting,” he says, admitting he’s nothing like his character. “But I’ve met a lot of beautiful people that are just as damaged and innocent as Kitten—they fall in love too easy, they trust too easy and they get hurt too easy. So I was able to draw on their experiences.”

When it came to feminizing his exterior, though, Murphy didn’t have far to go to transform himself. He is, after all, prettier than most of today’s prefabbed starlets and that’s without make-up. However, he still had to learn to walk the walk in order to prepare for the role.

“I hung out with some transvestites in London before we started shooting, and they taught me things like when it comes to walking in heels, all it takes is confidence. It also helps to learn when you’re drunk too,” he says. “But I guess the most important tip they gave me was shave, don’t wax.”

London lineage

As far as capturing the life of a young Irish runaway living in the U.K., all Jordan had to do was hark back to those heady days in the early ’70s when he drifted around downtown London.

“I remember you could see Jimi Hendrix walking down the street, or hear Pink Floyd playing in Hyde park. But at the same time, as an Irish person, you’d be bumping into people that were into serious political shit and were seriously violent, so there was this strange combination of effeminately glamorous men and butch guys in combat jackets ready to go to war.”

Jordan’s picaresque past and ability to bring it to life for the big screen with wry wit is one of many qualities that make him Irish filmmaking royalty, and why Murphy felt so honoured to work with him.

“A lot of directors underestimate the audience and Neil’s never done that,” says Murphy. “He expects them to be intelligent. And he trusts they will be able to go with surreal moments like the one where Kitten takes down an elite group of terrorists with a bottle of Chanel. What can I say? He just gets it.”

Breakfast on Pluto opens Friday, Jan. 13

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