Shortlisted for Glasgow Film Festival’s Audience Award is Spilt Milk, an ambitious yet discerning debut from Brian Durnin.
Set in 1980s Dublin, it follows the journey of 11-year-old Bobby O’Brien (Cillian Sullivan), who, inspired by the protagonist of his favourite show, Kojak, dreams of becoming a detective. Bobby sets off to solve small mysteries around town for spare change, but things become more serious when lost toys and bicycles progress to become a missing TV, then a wedding ring, and eventually, his own brother.
Determined to find Oisín (Lewis Brophy), Bobby recruits his reluctant best friend, Nell (Naoise Kelly), for their first real investigation. Following ‘clues’ that were left behind, what starts as an innocent pursuit to bring his brother home quickly descends into something much darker, and the pair become dangerously exposed to the harsh reality of addiction plaguing their community.
Spilt Milk feels undeniably authentic, with some shots even filmed on location at the council housing that still exists. References to the ‘Pushers Out’ movement and state negligence also keep it firmly grounded in reality, but Durnin seems to favour subtlety in his depiction over full-blown political commentary.
Cathal Watters’ cinematography serves the film wonderfully, utilising a warm colour palette and the odd lens flare that keeps it understated and wistful. A lineup of up-and-coming Irish talent only accentuates its grassroots feel, with Danielle Galligan putting on a believably tender performance as Bobby’s mother, and Kelly being a more-than-welcomed presence every time she took to the screen.
To portray the intricacies of a drug epidemic through a preteen’s eyes is undoubtedly an ambitious quest, however, and Spilt Milk often risks stretching itself too thin. It bears asking how far the narrative can go: will Durnin pull back in favour of maintaining some semblance of the childlike wonder that underpinned its first act, or destroy it completely? This debate does seem to be central to the film’s latter half, but it is assertive in its execution, doing its best to find and hold onto that sweet spot amidst its sourness.
Overall Rating: 4 Stars
Editor-in-Chief.
Fourth year English and Creative Writing and Politics and International Relations student.
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