A moody British art flick, Kiss Of Life intrigues but never inspires. It follows Peter Mullan's UN relief worker as he travels back from Bosnia to London, where his lonely wife (Ingeborga Dapkunaite) awaits alongside her unruly sprogs (Millie Findlay and James Martin) and their grandfather (David Warner). Tackling Big Issues of death, regret, loss, grief and reconciliation, first-time writer-director Emily Young doesn't match them with a strong story. The result is a picture that's mildly diverting but also quite dull, with decent performances propping up the dreamy inaction.
Death is in the air. The question is whether it will strike the obviously-in-danger Mullan, dodging Kalashnikov-carrying paramilitaries as he hitchhikes across country, or Dapkunaite, wrestling with her domestic concerns and inner-city traffic and strife back home.
What unfolds is kept deliberately unclear, with a character seemingly stuck in a world between this one and the next, waiting to see that all is well before moving on. And that really is that. It feels like an overstretched short film, without any other ideas or drive to keep you interested.
"MULLAN PROVIDES HIS USUAL POWER"
Dapkunaite gives an affecting performance, while Mullan provides his usual screen presence and power. Warner, meanwhile, is as criminally underused as this excellent English actor usually is. The kids aren't engaging.
The film relies on an atmosphere it never quite attains. Attempting a dream-like, over-worldly quality like Steven Soderbergh's Solaris, it simply drifts along until its unremarkable conclusion - with neither editing or camerawork attaining any real artistry.
Mullan's dilemma could have been intriguing - helping others at the expense of his family - but to consider this thought you must read a lot into very little. That Kiss Of Life is unusual should be applauded. That it's unsubstantial and uninteresting cannot.
Kiss Of Life (2004)
