Red Road

SYNOPSIS

The dangers of "Big Brother" society are explored through one woman's obsession in this dark, redemptive drama from writer/director Andrea Arnold (Oscar winner for the 2003 short Wasp). In her first big-screen role, Kate Dickie excels as Glaswegian CCTV operator Jackie, who develops a mysterious fixation on ex-con Clyde (a compellingly feral Tony Curran) after capturing him on her street surveillance monitors. As creepy spying turns into actual stalking, it becomes clear that something tragic unites the duo, setting the stage for a disturbingly sensual encounter that radically impacts on their lives. Slow burning yet grittily atmospheric, this Cannes prize winner is the inaugural segment of the Advance Party project - an experimental trilogy devised by Danish film-makers Lone Scherfig and Anders Thomas Jensen that utilises the same characters and actors but with different directors. Though its melodramatic finale strains credibility, the picture remains provocative and gripping, held together by emotionally complex performances and a powerful depiction of female strength and sexuality.