"Kisses"
A modern gritty Irish fairy tale set in the mold of a present day Huckleberry Finn.
A young boy and girl, neighbors in the council flats region in West Dublin run away from their respective troubled homes. Grabbing a lift from a local barge driver scavenging the River Liffey, the two escape into the playground and troubles waiting for them in the streets of Dublin.
Unable to find the boy's older brother who ran away from home years earlier, the two shop, eat, and enjoy their escape into the city. However, once their money runs out, they resort to stealing food and sleeping in cardboard boxes in the backstreets. The two wearily make it through the ugly threats of the city night.
Shifting from the bleak black and white perspective of their home life to gritty color once they escape outside, the director expertly portrays the shifting inner feelings of the two kids onscreen. Learning that a kiss, like life, can be either "given" or "taken," the lesson is clear that it is better to give.
Ending with a message of hope, the two safely make their way back home, unsure of just what changes, if any, await them. Both isolated within their respective home lives in the beginning, they now, at least, have each other.
