Recently I got to rewatch Lenny Abrahamson's 'Adam and Paul'.
The heartbreaking story of two Dublin heroin addicts, Abrahamson's debut film is a rare example of an Irish director directly confronting the disparity between rich and poor in the age of the Celtic Tiger.
A 'Ulysses' style trek through the Irish capital with two characters who are also like something out of a Samuel Beckett play mixed with Vittorio da Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves,' 22 years on its humour and shade still hit hard.
Sadly, it remains pertinent.
The drugs may have changed in Dublin since Abrahamson's film was initially screened but the problems of addiction and homelessness remain.
Brian Durnin's period family drama 'Spilt Milk' also deals with addiction in a different way - telling it from the perspective of a 11 year old 'Kojak' obsessed boy.
Set in Dublin in the 1980s when unemployment and immigration gripped the nation, we gradually see how heroin started to swamp the inner city flats and working class housing estates - claiming lives and devastating many families.
Cillian Sullivan plays Bobby O'Brien, an inner city kid, who inspired by Telly Savalas TV show, decides to form his own detective agency with his good friend, Naoise Kelly's no nonsense Nell.
Figuring this will make them local heroes, his 'Kojak' obsession doesn't impress his dad, Laurence O Fuarain's John who just wants him to get obsessed with football - even dragging his son along to the pub to watch a Glasgow Celtic match.
Armed with a magnifying glass and a notepad, Bobby remains fixated with solving mysteries - most notably the disappearance of his older brother, Lewis Brophy's Oisin.
Ever so subtly we begin to realise the real reasons for Oisin vanishing are linked to the rise of heroin in the flats.
Before vanishing, Oisin badmouths Rory Mullen's local community figure Jim Kane to Bobby as a person to be wary of.
The family TV set disappears.
The boy hears a snatch of a conversation his dad is having in the pub which may hold a clue to his brother's disappearance.
Like Kenneth Branagh's 'Belfast,' 'Spilt Milk' is about the end of childhood innocence as Bobby begins to gradually become aware of the dark world encountered by the adults around him.
Written by Cara Loftus, subtlety is the order of the day as Bobby and Nell Mitch school and head Northside to meet Charleigh Bailey's Patricia and understand Oisin's connection to her.
Charmed by Ryan Burke's friend of Oisin, Paddy Reid, Bobby watches his mum Danielle Galligan's Maura O'Brien get increasingly outraged by police inaction over the rise of heroin in the flats and she blossoms into a community activist.
Meanwhile Pom Boyd's nan puts a protective arm around Bobby - conscious of just how precious his boyish innocence is.
Beautifully lit in a nostalgic glow by cinematographer Cathal Watters, Durnin, Loftus, the cast and crew do a hell of a lot with a very low budget.
Subtle signs of poverty are dotted throughout the film, with Nell swiping extra milk from school and scones from a public meeting to ensure her family have food on the table.
And while the film initially feels like a Children's Film Foundation tale for the first 15 minutes, that's actually part of its charm and it nicely sets up the peeling away of Bobby's innocence.
As you stick with it, you realise there's more going on with it a la 'Belfast' and Terry Loane's Troubles tale 'Mickeybo and Me'.
As a tribute to the anti drugs activists who took on the dealers in working class communities, Durnin and Lotus perfectly judge their tale and it's easy to see why 'Spilt Milk' has resonated with international audiences who have caught the film on the festival circuit.
It's just a shame that the battle with exploitation of drug addiction is still continuing.
The cast deserve a lot of credit too with its child leads Sullivan and Kelly turning in wonderful lead performances with Durnin handling them well.
Galligan, Boyd, Brophy, O Fuarain, Bailey and Burke also provide superb support.
Durnin's movie deserves a lot more noise now that it has landed on general release in Ireland - one year after landing four IFTA nominations.
The film makes a strong case for investment in Durnin and Loftus as directorial and screenwriting talents who really ought to be nurtured.
Let's hope they get that support.
('Spilt Milk' was released in cinemas in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic on March 20, 2026)
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