Galway 2008: two more from Ireland
Next up in my summary of Irish films viewed at Galway is domestic drama OUR WONDERFUL HOME by Ivan Kavanagh.
While the entire film is shot in a fly-on-the-wall documentary style, it's essentially structured in two parts. There's the actual documentary part, in which a girl and her parents are interviewed about their life and how lovely it is; then there's the drama part, in which we see the dark truth of the matter.
What unfolds is a stormy tale of the breakdown of a family and how greed and mistrust lead them all into places they'd rather not be. It's an unusual film and to say any more about the events that unfold may risk spoiling your enjoyment, so I'll not bother.
The film feels very much like a stage play, having a very small cast, very few locations (the claustrophobic feeling adding to the mood of the piece) and a lot of dialogue. Such an approach is always a potential pitfall in cinema but here it works in the film's favour. The cast certainly helps, with each of them delivering strong performances - there's the odd moment involving the teenage lead where I just wanted to slap her, but otherwise they're all excellent.
The only other real gripe I have with the film is that in going for a naturalistic, documentary feel, there's a little too much in the way of natural lighting - at least I'm assuming that's what it was - and it looks a bit too murky in places. Perhaps that's an artistic decision and I'll give Kavanagh the benefit of the doubt, but I didn't like it. That said, it's a very small complaint about an overall terrific piece of indie filmmaking.
I've raved here before about the Irish hit ONCE, which really did well in capturing the bohemian and romantic magic of Dublin. Well my next Irish film from Galway could, in that respect, be considered the flipside. If you want to see Dublin as a dark and scary place, KISSES is for you.
Kylie and Dylan are two kids who, following a domestic incident, run away from their rundown suburban home and find themselves wandering the streets of Dublin. As characters in such films are wont to do, they run into a wild assortment of characters and situations as Dylan searches for his brother, who is said to live somewhere in Dublin.
Despite making Dublin look like a horror show, the film is beautifully shot. It's a blend of colour and black and white, but as for how they're combined, it's best to see for yourself. I'll just say it's very clever and very effective and leave it at that.
Risky as it is for a film to be built round two kids, Kelly O'Neill and Shane Curry both hold their own and are a large part of the film's success. Though it might be a tough sell in more cynical markets, I'm hoping KISSES will pick up a widespread distribution. If it does, be sure to see it.
More Irish film coverage to come!
While the entire film is shot in a fly-on-the-wall documentary style, it's essentially structured in two parts. There's the actual documentary part, in which a girl and her parents are interviewed about their life and how lovely it is; then there's the drama part, in which we see the dark truth of the matter.
What unfolds is a stormy tale of the breakdown of a family and how greed and mistrust lead them all into places they'd rather not be. It's an unusual film and to say any more about the events that unfold may risk spoiling your enjoyment, so I'll not bother.
The film feels very much like a stage play, having a very small cast, very few locations (the claustrophobic feeling adding to the mood of the piece) and a lot of dialogue. Such an approach is always a potential pitfall in cinema but here it works in the film's favour. The cast certainly helps, with each of them delivering strong performances - there's the odd moment involving the teenage lead where I just wanted to slap her, but otherwise they're all excellent.
The only other real gripe I have with the film is that in going for a naturalistic, documentary feel, there's a little too much in the way of natural lighting - at least I'm assuming that's what it was - and it looks a bit too murky in places. Perhaps that's an artistic decision and I'll give Kavanagh the benefit of the doubt, but I didn't like it. That said, it's a very small complaint about an overall terrific piece of indie filmmaking.
I've raved here before about the Irish hit ONCE, which really did well in capturing the bohemian and romantic magic of Dublin. Well my next Irish film from Galway could, in that respect, be considered the flipside. If you want to see Dublin as a dark and scary place, KISSES is for you.
Kylie and Dylan are two kids who, following a domestic incident, run away from their rundown suburban home and find themselves wandering the streets of Dublin. As characters in such films are wont to do, they run into a wild assortment of characters and situations as Dylan searches for his brother, who is said to live somewhere in Dublin.
Despite making Dublin look like a horror show, the film is beautifully shot. It's a blend of colour and black and white, but as for how they're combined, it's best to see for yourself. I'll just say it's very clever and very effective and leave it at that.
Risky as it is for a film to be built round two kids, Kelly O'Neill and Shane Curry both hold their own and are a large part of the film's success. Though it might be a tough sell in more cynical markets, I'm hoping KISSES will pick up a widespread distribution. If it does, be sure to see it.
More Irish film coverage to come!
Labels: Film festivals, Galway Film Fleadh, Irish film
posted by Alan at 5:29 pm
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