Kisses(2008) Director/Writer: Lance Daly Studios: Fastnet Films 72 min.
The influence of the French New Wave, that mid-twentieth century film movement that stresses long tracking shots, minimal dialog, and nonprofessional actors, can be seen in the Irish indie Kisses, a nominee for Best Foreign Film at this year’s Independent Spirit Awards.Having been funneled through the languid influence of more recent American directors like Terrence Malick and Sofia Coppola, the New Wave has found its way back across the pond to northern Europe—this ultra-obscure escapist flick was shot in Ireland on a shoestring budget. Writer/director Lance Daly has crafted the Irish version of Lost in Translation: his camera glides through areas of inner-city Dublin both magical and destitute (much like Coppola’s did through Tokyo) to chronicle one day and night in the life of two ragamuffin kids who run away from their abusive families and savage households for one night of freedom.Shane Curry and Kelly O’Neill, the two eleven-year-olds Daly discovered to play his leads, have never acted in anything before—meaning their performances are wonderfully devoid of the cutesy sentimental shtick most child actors have been trained to regurgitate for the camera.A millennial interpretation of the century-old Joycean desire to flee, Daly’s sparse script expertly touches on Irish issues like alcoholism, poverty, and child sex abuse as experienced by his child characters.What’s amazing is that the inclusion of these hot-button topics doesn’t stop this from being one of those beautifully supine films that just glides along like a hot summer afternoon.Kisses is low-budget, independent film making at its absolute best. A
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