Patrick “Kitten“ Braden, the beguiling, androgynous character at the center of Neil Jordan's Breakfast on Pluto, coasts through life on the wings of the flirty catchphrase,
“Oh serious, serious, serious."

That same mantra seems to have driven Irish director and screenwriter Jordan himself, whose past works have dug deep into dark and serious themes of terrorism, identity and politics. His esteemed credits include modern gay classics The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire, along with Michael Collins, The Butcher Boy and The End of the Affair.

After so much topicality, Jordan felt it was time to lighten up a bit.

“I wasn't that anxious to return to issues of political violence and terrorism, but when the IRA disbanded itself, it made me think the time had come to make it. I thought maybe I could look at the issue with some perspective--with the perspective this character (Kitten) provides,” says Jordan, calling from a promotional stop in Dallas, TX

Breakfast on Pluto, then, is like a rainbow-colored spotlight refracted through a disco ball. It follows, in Candide-like fashion, the trials and travails of the scrappy Kitten (Cillian Murphy, recently seen causing trouble in the box-office hits Batman Begins and Red Eye) as he/she deals with the complexities of a decidedly unique life.

There are startling moments of violence and sobering moments of seriousness, but the twinkle never disappears from Kitten's gorgeous blue eyes. Call it Forrest Gump in a frock.

“It's a tragicomedy in a way, really. It's a thing that comes natural to the Irish mind,” Jordan says. “There's a lot of humor, but it has a very black subtext.

“I think people are quite used to these things being kept in separate boxes, so it's probably a bit of a surprise for some people when they see the movie. It's almost like you push a specific (serious) situation … to its logical conclusion, (and) in a strange way, it does become funny. It becomes very sadly humorous.”

Kitten's story begins in 1958 Ireland when, as an infant, he is left on the doorstep of Father Bernard (Liam Neeson). Kitten is soon living under the suspicious eye of Ma Braden (the sour-faced Ruth McCabe), who eventually catches the youngster prancing in dresses and applying make-up.

It's around this time that Kitten discovers Ma Braden is not his real mother, and he vows to uncover the truth. His only clues are that his real mother's name was Eily Bergin and that she resembles South Pacific film star Mitzi Gaynor.

Along the way, Kitten is aided by a trio of friends: the vibrant Charlie (Bianca O'Connor), the rebellious Irwin (Emmet Lawlor McHugh) and Laurence (Seamus Reilly), who has Down Syndrome. O'Connor is especially good, her expressive eyes and shock of black hair adding to her rich, detailed performance. Jordan has sharply drawn all of the film's supporting players, encouraging an added layer of emotional investment.

“I try to do things I haven't done before, for better or for worse. That was one of the attractions of this,” Jordan says. “I've never made a movie that was as freewheeling as this, that was this picaresque.”

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