Oscilloscope makes out with ‘Kisses’

When I got a chance to speak to Lance Daly – he mentioned that they were fielding some solid offers (this was back in September). A full nine months later, it is Oscilloscope Lab who will parent the North American release of a film that beamed at fests such as Telluride and Toronto. Imagine if Ken Loach made movies that were a lot more hopeful – this is a smidgen of the impression I had when watching Daly’s Kisses – a film that ultimately was an underwhelming dramatic effort. Here is what I wrote about the picture after its TIFF showing.

Set on Christmas Eve in a seedy district on the outskirts of Dublin. Pre-teens Dylan and Kylie are neighbours, each struggling with the unbearable pressures of a dysfunctional family, with no chance of escape. Dylan is beaten by his unemployed father, and Kylie has to endure abuse by her uncle, which her mother refuses to acknowledge. So when yet another row with his father erupts, the young boy decides to run away, with Kylie right behind him. They set off for the capital, looking for Dylan’s brother, who had made his own escape two years before. Dublin becomes their playground.

Plans are for a release later in the year.