"Kisses"
(2009, Lance Daly, the Republic of Ireland)
Average Contributor Rating:

“Kisses”, Lance Daly’s third feature film and festival favourite, tells the story of two kids living in a run-down suburb in Ireland. They are friends, but there’s certainly a romantic spark somewhere. Dylan (Shane Curry) lives with his mother and father, his brother having run off, and is constantly abused both mentally and physically by his parents. Kylie (Kelly O’Neill) lives with her single mother and her several siblings, in constant danger from a step father who once abused her. After a particularly violent domestic run-in concerning Dylan, his mother, and his father, the two of them take to the streets, escaping to Dublin and deciding to live rough for as long as possible. Dangers of the night, hunger, and poverty take hold, and the two have to rely on each other more than ever.

The easiest thing to think whilst watching “Kisses”, which won awards at Foyle, Galway, and Miami film festivals and was an official selection at the Toronto, Locarno, Telluride, and London festivals, is that it is definitely Loachian in feel. And it’s undeniable that it is, because it has the subtlety of an early Loach film, and deals in the same kind of themes that the great British director tackles time and time again. Its primary concern is the lower classes, and the emotional and mental abuse (which is, obviously, just as potent as the physical abuse) that children of violent families have to go through. In many ways, it feels like “Kes”, Kenneth Loach’s most famous film, in that these kids find themselves relieved of all their problems when they are with each other. Their homes are torn apart by violence and abuse, but when Dylan is with Kylie (and vice versa), everything is okay. The scenes when they are together, starry-eyed and – for once – actually happy, certainly replicate those in which David Bradley removes himself from reality with the help of his trusted kestrel. But it’s not just Loach who Daly resembles, but also Eric Rohmer, particularly his early film “Signe du Lion”. The scenes in which the two kids meander around the streets, and even more so the sequences where they attempt to steal food, are certainly reminiscent of Rohmer’s film. It’s not exactly a concrete reference, but it would be certainly interesting to know if Daly had seen the film, and if it influenced this one.

The two child actors in the lead roles do wonders. I can’t really choose between them, because each of them do a wonderful job in bringing their character to life. Shane Curry, as Dylan, is brilliant, understated and subtle but not overly so. He gives the character a quiet depression, almost as if any real animation has been knocked out of him. He’s scared to be himself, to allow life to take over him, and as a result he’s left with nothing but a sad sense of worthlessness. Kelly O’Neill, on the other hand, plays a character who is infinitely more buoyant than her counterpart, believing in herself and in all of her little quirks. Kylie has had her fair share of trials and tribulations too, but the way that she deals with them are completely different to Dylan. Nothing is important enough to sacrifice your happiness, and she continues to live life with zeal and emotion, and to see her slowly influence Dylan is quite inspiring. As good as the two individual performances are, though, it is really the chemistry between the two characters that is the film’s true beauty. O’Neill and Curry never allow melodrama to seep into their performances, instead allowing their relationship to grow organically in a subtle and understated manner. Their first kiss ranks amongst the most uplifting moments in film this year.

Daly does a good job in the director’s chair, directing the film with very little frills and instead allowing the emotion and the drama do the speaking for him. What little touches he does put in the film, though, work magically, particularly his use of colour. The film begins in black and white, reflecting the mundane, dull, and quite morbid life that the two live in the suburbs. As the two get nearer to the city, our colour gets more and more vibrant, opportunities opening up for the pairing and reflecting in the look of the film. However, we soon come to learn that it’s not a condemnation of small-town living, and the colour is actually quite independent to the setting. Instead, we get brighter and more vibrant as the relationship between the two characters becomes stronger and stronger. It is not about setting, but about emotion, and the bond that holds this film together. The film is paced well, too, and never outstays its welcome… although, at seventy five minutes, I doubt it’s possible to be overlong. The score is excellent, and I think it’s been scientifically proven that any film with Bob Dylan on the soundtrack automatically becomes twenty per cent better, and the cinematography – as mentioned before – is stunning.

It’s not all good, though, and there are a few little flaws that drag the film down ever so slightly. The supporting characters are basically clichés, with very little about them at all. They are there simply to propel the plot along, and there is very little in the way of originality in any of the characters past Kylie and Dylan. Daly, who is still in the early stages of his directional career, does seem to have one flaw, in that he has this constant urge to have his camera pointed at the person who is speaking. These constant breaks in the conversations upsets the fluency of scenes, and makes said scenes feel a little disjointed. There’s also some melodrama here and there, too, with things happening for no other reason than to amplify the emotion in a completely obvious way. The kidnap scene is one of these sequences, and it doesn’t sit well with the rest of the film. It feels like a moment of excessive and unneeded melodrama in an otherwise subtle and controlled film.

But each of these flaws can be explained and – to some extent – allowed. The supporting characters are underdeveloped because, well, they are unimportant. The film is about Dylan and Kylie, not about the man who works on the boat or about their parents, and so spending time with these other characters would sacrifice the beautiful relationship between the two kids. Daly’s directional shortcomings can be put down to inexperience, which – although not exactly excusable – makes them understandable. Finally, the kidnap sequence is Daly’s chance to say something about the dangers of the street, and is a payoff to the film’s best recurring image; a car slowly pulling up to the kids, causing the audience some mild peril, before speeding off in the opposite direction. It’s mishandled, but the idea behind it is sound. Still, I’m more than willing to overlook these flaws and call “Kisses” one of the best Irish films I’ve seen, and certainly a contender for the top ten films of 2009 so far.. JB.