Kiss of Life (working title Helen of Peckham) is a 2003 British drama film. It is the debut feature film by director Emily Young.
| Kiss of Life | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Emily Young |
| Written by | Emily Young |
| Produced by | Gayle Griffiths |
| Starring | Ingeborga Dapkunaite |
| Cinematography | Wojciech Szepel |
| Edited by | David Charap |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editHelen lives in London with her father and her children, but is suddenly killed in a car accident. Aid worker John is trying desperately to get back to his family from Bosnian war, unaware that his wife is dead. Helen, also unaware that she is dead, hovers in limbo, until finally she is released.[1]
Cast
edit- Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė - Helen
- Peter Mullan - John
- David Warner - Pap
- Millie Findlay - Kate
- James E. Martin - Telly
- Ivan Bijuk - Old Man
- Sonnell Dadral - Rajiv
- Natalie Dew - Nicky
- Gemma Jones - Sonia
- Elizabeth Powell - Little Kate
- Marinko Prga - Mercedes Driver
- Barbara Rocco - Woman In Bar
- Dragica Sreckovic - Old Woman
- Davor Svedruzic - Angry Soldier
- Heather Tobias - Teacher
- Rosie Wiggins - Nadine
- Ivan Zadro - Depot Worker (as Ivica Zadro)
- Ranko Zidaric - Depot Boss
Production
editThe film, an English attempt at socialist realist drama in the style of Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski, is Young's debut feature film as director.[2] Set in the Peckham district of London, it was originally titled Helen of Peckham.[3]
Lithuanian actor Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė stepped in to play Helen at short notice, after the actor originally booked to play the role, Katrin Cartlidge, died suddenly in 2002,[2] two weeks before production was scheduled to begin.[3]
Release
editKiss of Life was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.[1]
Reception
editFilm critic and historian Robert Murphy praised the cast for "an impressively convincing performance", and wrote that Young "deserves credit for telling her story through images rather than dialogue, and dealing intelligently with death, memory, and love".[2]
The film was nominated for several awards, winning the Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the 2004 BAFTAs.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Kiss of Life". Festival de Cannes. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Murphy, R. (2019). Directors in British and Irish Cinema: A Reference Companion. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 638. ISBN 978-1-83871-533-5. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ a b Pulver, Andrew (23 May 2003). "Great British hope". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Kiss of Life (2003)". IMDb. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
External links
edit- Kiss of Life at IMDb
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