Red Road (film)
| Red Road | |
|---|---|
 Film poster for Red Road | |
| Directed by | Andrea Arnold |
| Written by | Andrea Arnold |
| Produced by | Carrie Comerford |
| Starring | Kate Dickie, Tony Curran |
| Cinematography | Robbie Ryan |
| Edited by | Nicolas Chaudeurge |
| Distributed by | Tartan Films (USA) |
Release dates | 20 May 2006 (Cannes) 27 October 2006 (UK) |
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Red Road is a 2006 British film directed by Andrea Arnold. It tells the story of a CCTV security operator who observes through her monitors a man from her past. It is named after, and partly set at, the Red Road flats in Barmulloch, Glasgow, Scotland which were the tallest residential buildings in Europe at the time they were built.[1] It is shot largely in a Dogme 95 style, using handheld cameras and natural light.
Red Road is the first film in Advance Party, a projected trilogy following a set of rules dictating how the films will be written and directed. They will all be filmed and set in Scotland, using the same characters and cast. Each film will be made by a different first-time director.[2] The Observer polled several filmmakers and film critics who voted it as one of the best British films in the last 25 years.[3]
Plot
Jackie Morrison (Kate Dickie) works in Glasgow as a CCTV operator, monitoring the Red Road Flats. She has little to no personal life and engages in occasional sex with married colleague Avery (Paul Higgins). While watching a man and woman have sex in a laneway, Jackie recognises the man and begins inquiring about him. It is revealed that he is Clyde Henderson (Tony Curran), a prisoner who was released on good behaviour. She begins stalking Clyde, "accidentally" meeting him at different places. She learns he is sharing an apartment with fellow ex-con Stevie (Martin Compston) and works as a locksmith. She meets him at a cafe and learns he is throwing a party at the apartment. She breaks into his apartment, claiming to have been invited to the party. She begins exchanging looks with a drunk Clyde and they dance. Eventually, over time, she attends his parties and plans to frame him for raping her to have him sent back to prison. They have sex and she steals the condom, storming out. She returns to her apartment and stages rape on herself. She visits the police and they identify Clyde as the rapist and arrest him. A few days later, she returns to visit Clyde, but is met by Stevie. He demands to know why she is following Clyde and she reveals that he got high on crack cocaine and drove into a bus stop, instantly killing her husband and daughter. She intends to have him back to jail. Upon learning Clyde has a daughter, she calls the police and has them pull the charges. Clyde confronts Jackie about her scheme and they argue. He apologises for killing her family and asks for forgiveness. They make amends and go their separate ways.
Cast
- Kate Dickie as Jackie Morrison
- Tony Curran as Clyde Henderson
- Martin Compston as Stevie
- Natalie Press as April
Awards
- 2006 Cannes Jury Prize[4]
- BAFTA Scotland 2006 - Best Screenplay
- BAFTA Scotland 2006 - Best Actress in a Scottish Film (Kate Dickie)
- BAFTA Scotland 2006 - Best Actor in a Scottish Film (Tony Curran)
- BAFTA Scotland 2006 - Best Director
- BAFTA Scotland 2006 - Best Film
- London Film Festival 2006, Sutherland Trophy awarded to "the director of the most original and imaginative first feature film" [1]
See also
References
- ^ Red Road Flats, Glasgow Digital Library
- ^ Vervepics.com
- ^ "The Observer Film Quarterly's best British films of the last 25 years". The Observer. August 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Festival de Cannes: Red Road". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-12-13.