Film Reviews

Kisses

• Rating:
• Director: Lance Daly.
• Starring: Kelly O'Neill, Shane Curry, Paul Roe, Cathy Malone.
• Details: Ireland / 72 mins (15A).

Growing up next door to each other on a rough estate, 13-year-old Dylan (Curry) and 11-year-old Kylie (O'Neill) have always been close, bonding over the harsh treatment dished out by their respective families. After narrowly escaping his father's (Roe) fists one day, Dylan and Kylie hop on a canal barge and sail into the city centre, swearing that they'll never return home again. Wandering about the city, the kids encounter various thrills and dangers as they attempt to survive just one night on the cruel Dublin streets. While it's impossible to escape the Adam and Paul similarities, Kisses is its own animal too. Writer-director Lance Daly (Last Days In Dublin, The Halo Effect) takes a massive gamble with two young debutants in the lead roles but it pays off, big time. The chemistry between the two leads is undeniable, as sharp, finely tuned dialogue zips back and forth - Mark O'Halloran's monopoly on the best air for Irish dialogue is in danger after this one. Daly is proving himself to be a good writer and will only get better: one short sequence turns from comedy to romance to out-and-out bleakness, while never making either feel out of place. That's tough to pull off. A modern day romantic fairytale amidst a pitiless city backdrop, Kisses heralds the coming of the next generation in Irish filmmakers in Daly. I can't wait to see what else he's got up his sleeve.

Review by Gavin Burke