Glasgow’s tourist office are unlikely to be thrilled at the portrayal of their city in Andrea Arnold’s 2006 movie ‘Red Road’. The bleak, litter strewn housing estates epitomise Jarvis Cocker’s summary of working class life where you smoke and drink and screw because there’s nothing else to do.
You can get a flavour of the movie from this trailor:
At the heart of the film is a stunning performance from Kate Dickie who plays a CCTV operator, Jackie. Sitting in front of a bank of TV screens, the sad and depressing half lives are dismally played out. For its depiction of the fascination of voyeurism, it is like a remake of Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ stripped of any glamour.
Watching a man having sex with a hooker on waste land forces Jackie to confront a past tragedy – to say more would be to ruin the movie. This a film that ideally should be seen without reading a fuller plot synopsis. A great part of the slow building tension works through trying to piece together the significance of her actions and responses.
Suffice to say that, like any short story worth its salt, every detail counts. The dialogue is raw and entirely convincing with strong emotions bubbling below the surface. The director realises that often it is what’s left unsaid which carries the greatest emotional punch.
If anyone tells you they don’t make independent movies like they used to, tell them bollocks and urge them to watch this great movie.
