Red Road

Andrea Arnold's feature film debut is an intense study in emotional obsession. Jackie (Kate Dickie) works as a CCTV operator (I must say that seeing all of those surveillance cameras gave me the creeps but that is how it is in the UK). She focuses on a certain part of Glasgow trying to make sure that people are safe. But Jackie has a deep, dark secret. We get some clues about what happened in the past but we don't find everything out until much later on.

I am not going to say much about the plot because I don't want to give things away. I will say that things start to take shape after Jackie spots someone from the past on one of the cameras.
He is a man named Clyde (Tony Curran) who has a shady past.

Red Road is a tough, gritty story. There is nothing pretty about it. Dickie is marvelous as Jackie. She not only feels like a real person - she looks like a real person. Curran is very good as her object of obsession. Also doing a fine job of acting are Martin Compston as Stevie and Nathalie Press as April. They are friends of Clyde's. Please make note of the man with the dog - I believe that there is some symbolism there. I must tell you that there is a explicit sex scene in the film. I found it to be realistic - that is what real sex is like. But I have read some comments on various boards that seemed not to like it. I guess these people are in a fantasy land.

Ms. Arnold is definitely a force to reckon with and I look forward to her next film. And, by the way, check out her Oscar winning short Wasp. I recently saw it on the Sundance Channel and it packs a powerful punch (and Ms. Press is in that one as well).