AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

jneedleman Non-narrative films can be great, but this is something different. *Kisses* has enough plot and complications for anyone. Every thread is resolved, every theme revisited in this study of the beauty and terror of adolescents tasting freedom. This is one of those films in which painstakingly localized settings and characterization achieve the universal.I kept thinking of a line from Dennis Cooper while watching this: "And when they kiss, it's so cold and impressive to them." Yes, the kisses in this film are impressive to the characters, but there's nothing cold about them. They always seem to a seal a bond as warm as the sun. And though there's desperation and insecurity, the characters hold back and compensate as they would in real life. There are things we tell ourselves not to show until at last they show without our permission.Danger and wonder are everywhere, yet the tone deftly avoids the sentimental even when the structure employs techniques from classic melodrama.There are moments of joy in *Kisses* in which everything stops, like musical numbers without singing. And the use of color makes you wonder if it's the cinematography that's stunning or simply the world itself.

Tahwan The acting of the kids was really good. They were portrayed realistic, which made out most of the charm. Yet, in the end, the movie got a little unrealistic turn into somewhat like an action movie, which was definitely unnecessary (except they ran out of ideas). It seemed to me, as if the director wanted to show that he can shoot also action-scenes. All in all the ideas were a little few, which were also not completely new. The supporting characters did not have much originality. Especially the ending was little bit too conventional and foreseeable. Portray of two kids was great, yet the story lacked of originality and ideas. Since the movie is just 78min long, it's worth watching.

gradyharp Some may balk at naming this a Christmas movie because of the subject matter, while others will see the reason for terming this very near perfect film as such. First, it takes place at Christmas, and second it is a story as sweet as the Gift of the Magi as far as different tales on the concept of gift giving. Lance Daly both wrote and directed KISSES and cast two extraordinary young actors in the main roles. His use of black and white to color in filming and his decision to focus the musical score on the works of Bob Dylan are two further bits of evidence that this is a man with a solid career before him. In an unnamed little town in Ireland adjoining families live in rather squalid psychological conditions. Kylie (Kelly O'Neill) lives with her parents and siblings in a state of constant bickering and chaos: Kylie's uncle has in the past added his own brand of psychological trauma to her life as we hear later in the film. Next door lives Dylan (Shane Curry), a lad Kylie's age who lives with a severely abusive father and submissive mother. It is Christmas Eve and there is not a bit of joy in the air: Kylie is sent off to walk the baby and is verbally abused by schoolmates while Dylan finally is fed up with his father's behavior (Paul Roe) and after a scuffle flees out the window - with Kylie's help. The two youngsters cannot bear their disgusting family situations and off they go, finding a ride with a riverboat dredger captain (David Bendito) who introduces the to the songs of Bob Dylan. The two end up in Dublin where they struggle for food and shelter, encounter some rather gross behaving people, as well as meeting good people like Bob Dylan (Stephen Rea) for a moment and as they look for Dylan's long vanished brother they meet a street girl (Elizabeth Fuh) who when asked how she survives plying her trade tells Dylan that her only gift to people she meets is a kiss - and she gently kisses Dylan on the cheek. After finding that life on the streets of Dublin at night is very rough the two seek help from a policeman who helps them return to their homes. But a bond has been formed between Kylie and Dylan and the story just ends. Lance Daly is a sensitive director; the portions of the story taking place in the home of the kids are shot in black and white and it is only as Kylie and Dylan discover Bob Dylan's music courtesy of the dredger does the film gradually turn to color. He also is unafraid to show the joys of the two kids as they buy things in Dublin (Kylie's uncle gave her some hush money) and shoe skate around in their new found freedom and happiness, a factor that makes the rest of the story - which is rather dreary and sad - palatable. The two young actors are superb and the music of Bob Dylan floods the screen. This is a small budget film with a big message. And part of that message is about the significance of a simple gift. Grady Harp

Ron Plasma All very Ken Loach, (before he discovered FC United!), but nevertheless a charming, short film. Dylan & Kylie, (a fabulous, if mismatching pair of character names), were sweet in their own brow-beaten way, and all credit to Lance Daly for sticking with the sometime impenetrable dialogue.Never mind. Credit also to Kelly O'Neill (especially) and Shane Curry for demonstrating that acting is much more than just words. But what I loved was the fact that the whole feel-good aspect of the film could be attributable to …. Heelys! ("They don't come cheap you know!")Yup, Keely floating through the Dublin shopping arcades was as graceful as anything seen in a (South) West coast surfer movie – and made me infinitely more jealous. And then, just as this fairytale turns dark, the Heelys come to the rescue in a magnificent cinematic moment. Extra marks for that!Ron(Viewed 26Jul09)