A
colourful and slight film that makes the most of its well cast pair of
young Dublin-born leads. The whole clocks in at approximately 75 minutes, but even then
consists of several non-dialogue episodes, so this is not a densely plotted piece by any means. What dialogue
there is a well observed and convincing representation of the speech of
the Dubliners depicted in the movie. Credit must go to the scriptwriter, but
their efforts have been strengthened by the use of local actors from whose lips
the lines fall au naturel. Jarring
moments therefore reflect shortcomings in the script itself, and not the actors’
delivery.
Set
over a day and a night at Christmastime in contemporary Dublin, the film follows the adventures of two
put-upon youngsters who, after reaching a tipping point, run away to the city. An
introductory episode enlightens us as to the serious issues in the lives of the
young protagonists (both are subject to abuse from familymembers) and their
internal resources to survive are given equal treatment with the challenges
they face. At some point during their extraordinary journey to the city, the
film stock changes from monochrome to colour, the latter utilised to the utmost
when depicting the city’s night lights, which are at their best because of the
seasonal festivities. The concluding episode sees a return to monochrome.
A
unifying idea encapsulating the whole is the possibility of finding the
extraordinary in the apparently ordinary. One might say that this concept is
reflected even in the very successful decision by the filmmakers (whatever
their reasoning) to cast two local acting debutantes in the lead roles. More
tangentially perhaps, it is the principle underlying the redemptory connotations of
the Christmas season, also revisited here, of such films as It’s a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Carol. (The film is released
in Ireland the third week of November, perhaps an attempt
by the filmmakers to capitalise on the Christmas movie-going market).
Despite
it’s roots in the real Dublin, there is an impressionistic
atmosphere, and the rhythm of the story is periodically moderated with
ruminative depictions the two leads. On these occasions, the thematic rock
music (credited to Go Blimps Go) builds to an unwelcome crescendo, apparently signifying
something, but we know not what. At its essence this is a love story, albeit an
unconventional one concerned with the nascent relationship between two pre-teens
(who, thanks to the harsh realities of their upbringing, of which they are
acutely aware, have some views more commonly associated with older
children.) More precisely, the film shows how incipient bonds
can be strengthened by circumstances, a contemporary imagining of the Irish
proverb Ní neart go cur le cheile (There is no strength without unity), perhaps.
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