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Red Road (2006)
Red Road, the debut feature of Andrea Arnold, concerns a woman, Jackie, played by Kate Dickie, whose job involves watching CCTV footage of the streets of Glasgow. One day, she sees a face from her past on camera, leading to obsession. To say more than this would spoil the film, not because it relies on plot twists, but because it is the atmosphere of tension and dread suffusing the film which make it what it is.
Red Road, the ‘first British dogma film’, is one of three films by different directors using the same characters and actors. It won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2006 and Arnold won the BAFTA in 2007 for most promising newcomer. These were well deserved wins, in my opinion.
The direction is excellent, seeing the city through CCTV cameras add a layer of menace and detachment. It is an ideal visual style for a film about a woman who watches the minutiae of other people’s lives, but seems detached from life herself. Colours are used very deliberately and the menacing tower blocks of the title become almost a character in themselves. The central performances are strong, effectively conveying the characters’ guilt, grief, regret and compassion. You do not need to understand why Jackie is obsessed with Clyde to feel that her obsession rings true.
Red Road is not without its flaws – the confrontation which takes place towards the end of the film is not quite as cathartic for the viewer as it is for Jackie, for example. It is certainly not for everyone – there is a particularly strong sex scene which although essential to both the plot and tone of the film may be too much for some.
It isn’t perfect, but it is extremely powerful, and a more than promising debut from a director to watch in the future.
4.5/5
Red Road, the debut feature of Andrea Arnold, concerns a woman, Jackie, played by Kate Dickie, whose job involves watching CCTV footage of the streets of Glasgow. One day, she sees a face from her past on camera, leading to obsession. To say more than this would spoil the film, not because it relies on plot twists, but because it is the atmosphere of tension and dread suffusing the film which make it what it is.
Red Road, the ‘first British dogma film’, is one of three films by different directors using the same characters and actors. It won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2006 and Arnold won the BAFTA in 2007 for most promising newcomer. These were well deserved wins, in my opinion.
The direction is excellent, seeing the city through CCTV cameras add a layer of menace and detachment. It is an ideal visual style for a film about a woman who watches the minutiae of other people’s lives, but seems detached from life herself. Colours are used very deliberately and the menacing tower blocks of the title become almost a character in themselves. The central performances are strong, effectively conveying the characters’ guilt, grief, regret and compassion. You do not need to understand why Jackie is obsessed with Clyde to feel that her obsession rings true.
Red Road is not without its flaws – the confrontation which takes place towards the end of the film is not quite as cathartic for the viewer as it is for Jackie, for example. It is certainly not for everyone – there is a particularly strong sex scene which although essential to both the plot and tone of the film may be too much for some.
It isn’t perfect, but it is extremely powerful, and a more than promising debut from a director to watch in the future.
4.5/5