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Intermission (2004) movie poster

Characters & Themes

Intermission (2004) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2004 · 105 min · French
JustWatch #8,525 13
Directed by
John Crowley
Starring
Colin Farrell, Kelly Macdonald, Cillian Murphy
Budget
$5M

A group of friends gathers at their local cinema, eager to see the latest action film. While waiting for "Fast and Furious 8" to begin, long-simmering tensions and hidden secrets among them begin to surface. Their seemingly ordinary night out is threatened as complex relationships and unresolved conflicts are exposed, leading to unexpected confrontations and a disruption of their shared anticipation.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (3)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like Intermission
  8. 8 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch Intermission (2004)

Where can you watch Intermission? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on MUBI, Amazon Video and Apple TV Store: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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3 main characters · contains spoilers

Intermission Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of Intermission (2004), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Lehiff (Colin Farrell)

    Lehiff is a petty Dublin criminal who exudes a charming, roguish charisma even as he commits violence. He pretends to be friendly to disarm his victims, but quickly betrays trust. He is a central source of trouble, dragging others into a chain of schemes that spiral out of control. His arc ends in a fatal confrontation when Ben shoots him after a violent street encounter.

    • 🔥 Impulsive
    • 🗡️ Violent
    • 🤫 Secretive
  • Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald)

    A recently separated woman trying to move on while grappling with the past. She becomes the emotional focal point for John’s longing and the source of tension around her sister Sally and Sam. Her experiences reveal the vulnerability and complexity of relationships after a breakup.

    • 💔 Heartbroken
    • 💪 Strong-willed
    • 🧭 Conflicted
  • John (Cillian Murphy)

    A recently separated man who longs to win back Deirdre and finds himself pulled into dangerous schemes. His pursuit of reconciliation is tempered by confusion and a sense of being lost without his partner. He experiences a mix of hope and fear as the couple’s relationship resurfaces at the end.

    • 🎯 Determined
    • 💔 Loyal
    • 🌊 Reflective

Last updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:07

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Setting

Where and When Does Intermission Take Place?

The setting of Intermission (2004): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Location

Dublin, Ireland

Set in Dublin, Ireland, the story unfolds across busy streets and everyday locations that become stages for the characters' schemes. Major scenes move from a bank, to a city bus, and to a canal, grounding the drama in recognisable urban spaces. The city’s ordinary venues serve as pressure points where petty crime, personal betrayals, and violent confrontations erupt.

  • 🏙️ Urban setting
  • 🔪 Crime milieu

Last updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:07

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3 major themes

Intermission Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is Intermission (2004) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Crime

    From Lehiff’s initial street theft to the kidnapping plot and a fatal police confrontation, the narrative reveals how crime spills beyond individuals into the wider community. The involvement of Ben and the docusoap frame suggests a commentary on how media can magnify and distill chaos into entertainment. The pursuit exposes moral ambiguity, as some characters exploit others for gain while others struggle to do the right thing. The violence and its consequences ripple through friends, lovers, and strangers, showing the fragility of trust in urban life.

  • Relationships

    John's desperation to win Deirdre back drives the emotional core of the story. Deirdre is torn between past affection and present risks, especially as she navigates new partners and past betrayals. The ensemble of Sally, Sam, and Noeleen adds layers of jealousy, insecurity, and power dynamics that threaten fragile bonds. The chaotic events test loyalty and forgiveness, revealing how relationships can move toward renewal or fracture under pressure.

  • Media

    The presence of a film-maker in the middle of the plot foregrounds media as both witness and architect of reality. Ben’s docusoap framing reshapes events into televised narrative, prompting questions about sensationalism and responsibility. The detective’s pursuit is captured for television, highlighting how entertainment can distort perception and ethics. The conclusion invites viewers to consider the costs of turning crime into spectacle.

Last updated: October 04, 2025 at 08:07

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Character & theme questions

Intermission Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about Intermission (2004): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the movie set?

Intermission takes place in Dublin, Ireland. The story unfolds across familiar urban locations including a bank, a city bus, and a canal. These everyday Dublin settings become stages for the characters' schemes, with the city's ordinary venues serving as pressure points where petty crime, personal betrayals, and violent confrontations erupt.

  • dublin
  • ireland
  • setting
  • location
  • urban
Q2

How does Dublin contribute to the story?

Dublin functions as more than just a backdrop, it becomes a character itself. The city's busy streets and everyday locations ground the drama in recognizable urban spaces. The mundane settings contrast sharply with the escalating chaos, emphasizing how crime and personal conflicts spill into ordinary life, reflecting the film's theme of how trouble infiltrates community.

  • dublin
  • urban setting
  • city
  • dublin streets
Q3

What time period does the film take place in?

The film is set in contemporary Dublin, though a specific year is not provided. The setting reflects modern urban Ireland with references to contemporary media like docusoaps, suggesting a time when reality television and 24-hour news cycles were prevalent.

  • time period
  • contemporary
  • modern dublin
  • era
Q4

What are the main themes?

Intermission explores three interconnected themes: Crime, examining how criminal acts ripple through the community; Relationships, focusing on the emotional turmoil of recently separated characters trying to reconnect; and Media, questioning how entertainment distorts real-life events into spectacle.

  • themes
  • crime
  • relationships
  • media
  • meaning
Q5

What does the film say about crime?

The film reveals how crime spills beyond individuals into the wider community. From Lehiff's street theft to the kidnapping plot and fatal police confrontation, the narrative shows how criminal actions damage trust in urban life. The presence of a filmmaker capturing events for a docusoap adds commentary on how media magnifies and distills chaos into entertainment.

  • crime
  • petty crime
  • dublin crime
  • community
Q6

How does the film portray relationships?

Relationships drive the emotional core of Intermission. John's desperation to win Deirdre back fuels much of the tension, while Deirdre grapples with past affection and present risks. The ensemble characters add layers of jealousy, insecurity, and power dynamics. The chaotic events test loyalty and forgiveness, showing how relationships either renew or fracture under pressure.

  • relationships
  • love
  • romance
  • breakup
  • reconciliation
Q7

What role does media play in the film?

Media serves as both witness and architect of reality in Intermission. The filmmaker Ben uses a docusoap framing that reshapes real events into televised narrative, raising questions about sensationalism and responsibility. When the detective's pursuit is captured for television, it highlights how entertainment can distort perception and ethics, making viewers consider the cost of turning crime into spectacle.

  • media
  • docusoap
  • television
  • film making
  • spectacle
Q8

Who is Lehiff in the film?

Lehiff is a petty Dublin criminal played by Colin Farrell who exudes charming, roguish charisma even while committing violence. He uses a friendly demeanor to disarm victims before betraying their trust. He becomes a central source of trouble, dragging others into a chain of criminal schemes that spiral out of control.

  • lehiff
  • colin farrell
  • criminal
  • character
Q9

Who is Deirdre in the film?

Deirdre is a recently separated woman played by Kelly Macdonald who is trying to move on while grappling with the past. She becomes the emotional focal point for John's longing and creates tension with her sister Sally and Sam. Her experiences reveal the vulnerability and complexity of navigating relationships after a breakup.

  • deirdre
  • kelly macdonald
  • character
  • relationship
Q10

Who is John in the film?

John is a recently separated man played by Cillian Murphy who longs to win back Deirdre. He finds himself pulled into dangerous schemes while pursuing reconciliation, experiencing a mix of hope and fear. His journey reflects confusion and a sense of being lost without his partner.

  • john
  • cillian murphy
  • character
  • separation
Q11

What motivates the main characters?

The main characters are driven by interconnected desires: John seeks to reconnect with Deirdre and escape his feeling of being lost; Deirdre navigates between past affection and the need to move forward; Lehiff pursues personal gain through petty crime, often dragging others into his schemes. These motivations create conflict as characters' goals collide.

  • motivations
  • desires
  • character arcs
Q12

What is the tone and emotional style of the film?

Intermission maintains a dark, emotionally intense tone that reflects raw realism and morally ambiguous characters. The narrative efficiently weaves multiple storylines toward often-harsh conclusions. While some relationships find tentative reconciliation, the film is undercut by tragedy, leaving an overall impression of fragile peace in a damaged community.

  • tone
  • dark
  • emotional
  • intense
  • realism

Movie threads

More Movies Like Intermission, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Intermission tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Gritty Urban Ensemble Dramas like Intermission

Interconnected lives collide in a raw and desperate urban landscape. If you enjoyed the raw, interconnected storytelling of Intermission, you'll find similar movies here. These films explore the tense and often desperate lives of multiple characters whose paths cross in a gritty urban world, creating a complex and emotionally heavy viewing experience.

  • gritty
  • raw
  • tense
  • urban decay
  • anxious
  • unsettled
  • Tone: dark, raw, tense
  • Pacing: steady, building
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These films typically feature a large cast of characters whose seemingly separate storylines gradually intersect, often through crime, romance, or sheer coincidence. The narrative structure builds tension by showing how small actions have large, unforeseen repercussions across the community, culminating in a climactic convergence of fates.

Why they belong together: They are grouped together by their shared focus on raw, urban realism, complex multi-character narratives, and a tone that balances dark humor with heavy emotional consequences, creating a specific, immersive world-view.

Crime Stories with Moral Ambiguity like Intermission

Desperate characters make bad choices with heavy, unavoidable consequences. For viewers who liked the moral complexities and consequences in Intermission, this thread features movies where characters grapple with desperate choices. These films explore the tense, often bleak aftermath of crime and revenge, leaving a heavy emotional impact.

  • tense
  • melancholic
  • unsettled
  • consequences
  • revenge
  • desperation
  • Tone: dark, tense, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, tense build-up
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows characters who, often out of desperation or a desire for revenge, commit acts that spiral out of their control. The focus is less on the crime itself and more on the psychological and relational fallout, leading to a climax of confrontation and an ending that offers fragile peace at best, underscored by loss and regret.

Why they belong together: They share a dark tone, a steady pacing that builds dreadful anticipation, and a central theme of exploring the heavy consequences of moral compromise, making the viewing experience tense and emotionally taxing.

If you liked this

Movies Like Intermission

Similar movies to Intermission: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

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Every angle

Intermission (2004) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Intermission in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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