Glasgow Film Festival 2025 – Spilt Milk ★★★★

Released: TBC (Glasgow Film Festival)

Director: Brian Durnin

Starring: Cillian Sullivan, Naoise Kelly, Danielle Galligan

Director Brian Durnin from Dublin, Ireland has directed films for household brands like Guinness and Heinz, working with major stars like Saoirse Ronan and Liam Cunningham along the way. His ambitious debut feature ‘Spilt Milk’ is set in 80s Dublin, focusing on eleven year old Bobby (Cillian Sullivan) who fancies himself as something of an amateur detective. With his best friend Nell (Naoise Kelly), he investigates the disappearance of his elder brother Oisin (Lewis Brophy). Nobody seems to know what has befallen his brother, so Bobby takes matters into his own hands.

The 80s setting is made clear by Bobby’s wall being adorned by posters of Telly Savalas’s Kojak, an inspiration for our junior sleuth. Bobby’s detective skills may not be those of the detectives he admires on the small screen, but it is a fun twist on both the detective film and coming-of-age story from Durnin.

Seeing the sometimes unsavoury side of late-night Dublin at a time of tension, through the eyes of an eleven-year-old is a masterstroke. This gives it an instant edge over other films. The moody palette is full of brown, yellow and burgundy hues giving us a flavour of Bobby’s estate and the mundane life his escapist dreams distract him from.

It is clear this was a tough time to be living on the estate, rife with damage and full of drug dealers. This could quite easily descend into cliché and while it has its formulaic moments the childhood lens of Bobby, anchored by Cillian Sullivan’s lively performance prevents this for the most part. Danielle Galligan adds further depth as the anguished mother, pleading for Oisin to come home in an emotional, compelling role that will likely strike a chord.

‘Spilt Milk’ is an entertaining watch built around its young cast with more established names adding heft. The mystery of what has befallen Oisin may end up predictable but that isn’t really the point here, this is a recollection of a recent era in Ireland’s history from a unique perspective. This is a debut that offers plenty of signs of promise for Brian Durnin, whilst providing a fresh spin on the coming of age film. In some ways it is hard to believe this is a debut given the themes it tackles with such confidence, coupled with the strength of its script and performances of a youthful cast, who also mark themselves as must watch talents.