A film that takes one down a couple of unexpected paths, "Red Road" (2006) stars Kate Dickie as Jackie, a very thin, tired-looking and sad woman who works for the police as a CCTV operator in Glasgow. She watches footage from the various security cameras around her section and reports suspicious behavior, crimes in progress, etc. throughout a particularly gritty area of the city. When Jackie receives an invitation for her sister-in-law's wedding, she attends. It's evident her father-in-law is upset with her; we get the idea that Jackie's husband is dead and that in some way, she has kept the family from getting closure.
One day while on the job, to her surprise, Jackie sees a familiar face. She finds out that the man she saw had an early prison release. She begins to stalk him. He doesn't seem to know her, but when she shows up at a party in his apartment, she looks familiar to him. Eventually they have sex - one of the most graphic sex scenes I've ever seen -- and gradually the real story unfolds.
You won't know what this film is about for a long time, but you'll keep busy guessing. In that way, the pace is slow-moving but keeps your attention.
The acting is not only excellent but very natural from Kate Dickie, who has a real workhorse role, and Tim Curran as Clyde, the recently released prisoner.
The idea that we are watched all the time without knowing it is unnerving, and it's fascinating to see how Jackie uses her job and the surveillance to get some closure in her own life. Very satisfying if raw film.
One day while on the job, to her surprise, Jackie sees a familiar face. She finds out that the man she saw had an early prison release. She begins to stalk him. He doesn't seem to know her, but when she shows up at a party in his apartment, she looks familiar to him. Eventually they have sex - one of the most graphic sex scenes I've ever seen -- and gradually the real story unfolds.
You won't know what this film is about for a long time, but you'll keep busy guessing. In that way, the pace is slow-moving but keeps your attention.
The acting is not only excellent but very natural from Kate Dickie, who has a real workhorse role, and Tim Curran as Clyde, the recently released prisoner.
The idea that we are watched all the time without knowing it is unnerving, and it's fascinating to see how Jackie uses her job and the surveillance to get some closure in her own life. Very satisfying if raw film.