It’s not a very merry Christmastime for pre- teens Kylie and Dylan, neighbors on the fringes of Dublin in an area of rundown houses called kips in Irish slang.
Kylie lives with her five siblings and an overworked mother, while Dylan is subjected to physical abuse from a profanity-spouting father.
After a particularly violent encounter with his dad, Dylan and Kylie flee to central Dublin in search of love and the boy’s brother, who left home two years earlier.
They encounter more than they had expected, including a carload of thugs intent on raping Kylie.
Much is made of Dylan’s name and a certain American musician, whose music dominates the soundtrack. One encounter is with a Bob Dylan impersonator played by Stephen Rea (“The Crying Game”).
Terrific non-pro actors Kelly O’Neill (Kylie) and Shane Curry (Dylan) are the backbone of the film, directed by Lance Daly, who says as a kid he thought of running away.
In an effective touch, “Kisses” opens in black and white, changes into color for its Dublin scenes, then returns to monochrome.
The film gets its name from a woman who knew Dylan’s brother. “He was kind to me, and I had nothing to give but kisses,” she tells the runaways.