Review of Red Road (2006) by Todd J — 15 Jul 2007

Red Road: Andrea Arnold directs this Jury Prize-winning social drama. Set in Glasgow (and featuring subtitles to decipher the thick accents), the film centers around one character played by Kate Dickie trying to get her life back in line after some really bad things had happened to her.

I hesitate to really get into it because the film just kinda throws you in the middle of her life and lets the details come naturally. It's a style that demands attention and keeps the narrative fresher with every ensuing detail.

But more than just the simple narrative thrust, the character of Jackie is really what demands recognition here, possessing a full (if cliched a bit) arc and very ambiguous motivations and repercussions.

Dickie plays the character with such a simple naturalness that you nearly forget that she's actually acting. Also, for once, the handheld, jostling camera works extremely well, reflecting the immediacy of the images Jackie sees as a CCTV monitor in Glasgow.

Although the ending seems expected, it's done in such realistic shades that it doesn't matter that you saw it coming. What matters most of all is the way you get there, and with such striking and sensitive images and characterizations, Red Road is a fantastic film.

**** out've *****.