Red Road is the first in a trilogy of films produced by The Advance Party, and Zentropa, a production company operated by Lars von Trier, of Dogme films fame. Among the creative criteria of the Dogme Manifesto (The King is Alive, Italian for Beginners), was that the films be shot in real locations, using hand held cameras and only available light.  

Advance Party guidelines require using the same actors, portraying the same characters, in all three films. They may play major or minor roles, with differing relationships in each film, to be determined by the writer. The idea of both formats is to push the envelope of creativity. Red Road offers an intriguing premise leading to an unexpected denouement. We look forward to the next two films in the series.  

Jackie (Kate Dickie) monitors activity from CCTV security cameras in an inner city area of high rise buildings in Glasgow. Graffiti is everywhere and vacant lots dot the neighborhood. She watches other people’s lives unfold, and finds familiarity in knowing the daily routines of some of the residents.  

If Jackie sees a crime being committed, she calls the police. Other than that, she spends time with her family only if she has to. On occasion, she goes out with her married boyfriend for sex in his van.   

Jackie’s life changes when she recognizes a man on-camera having rough sex with a woman pinned against a wall. Although it’s clear that the act is consensual, Jackie is so upset that it’s obvious this man did something to her in the past that altered her life. His name is Clyde Henderson (Tony Curran of The Good German), and he was supposed to be in prison for 10 years but is out on early parole. Perhaps he raped her or murdered someone she knew?  

Jackie becomes obsessed with learning about Clyde. She meets two of his friends, Stevie (Martin Compston of Sweet Sixteen), who brings an intensity of potential violence that is frightening, and his girlfriend April (Nathalie Press, My Summer of Love), hard core, street kids who share a small apartment with Clyde.  

Clyde is sexually attracted to Jackie and it plays out in an intensely erotic scene. Passion of a different sort rules Jackie’s deliberate actions. The complexity of the situation is revealed, eventually, and there is not a conventional, thread bare plot twist in sight.   

Learning to live with the past and to deal with forgiveness are two of the issues at the heart of this film. The best way to understand and to feel the impact is to let the story slowly unfold, much like in real life. Some things can’t be rushed.