Red Road

Written and directed by Andrea Arnold, Red Road is the story about a CCTV security officer who is intrigued by a man she knew years ago as she watches him through her video monitor. The first of a trilogy of films of the Advance Party film series that is made under a set of rules with character back-stories and geography settings for new filmmakers. Starring Kate Dickie and Tony Curran. Red Road is a harrowing yet exquisite film from Andrea Arnold.

Obsession is an interesting theme as it often involves some kind of motivation. For this security officer who watches the entire city of Glasgow through a video monitor to make sure things are going well until one particular day when she sees the face of a man she had known many years ago. Who is this man and why is she interested in him? The film slowly explores the life of this woman named Jackie (Kate Dickie) as she follows this mysterious man named Clyde (Tony Curran) as she learns that he’s been released from prison over something he committed. While information isn’t unveiled until late in the film, it does become obvious into why Jackie wants to see what Clyde is up to. Yet, writer/director Andrea Arnold takes her time to figure out what is Jackie really trying to discover and how to approach this man.

The screenplay that features some rules conceived by Danish filmmakers Lone Scherfig and Anders Thomas Jensen that includes character backgrounds and such along with what these new filmmakers should do. Arnold takes these ideas and uses it to create her own story about a woman still mired in some form of grief as she is trying to follow this man. Jackie starts off as a woman living her life alone as a security officer who would often have trysts with a married co-worker while distancing herself from family. By the time she learns about Clyde’s release, she is intrigued to see if he’s up to no good as she eventually takes a closer look where he lives with a couple of young people in Stevie (Martin Compston) and April (Nathalie Press). Once she gets closer to learn more about Clyde, there is a conflict into what Jackie wants as there are those in Clyde’s circle who are also wondering about Jackie’s intentions though they don’t really know her either.

Arnold’s direction is presented in a style similar to Dogme 95 except in its look as it is loose and free wielding but also very direct into the images that Arnold is presenting. Some of which are very entrancing from the look of Glasgow seen through the video monitors including the famous Red Road section of the city as well as the city itself at night. Shot in a hand-held camera style, Arnold’s direction allows the film to have this sense of realism but also a beauty to the stark world of Glasgow, Scotland as it’s a character in itself. There also some very direct and frank scenes of sexuality as it relates to Jackie’s own sense of desires that she seems to have lost as Arnold isn’t afraid to make it a bit graphic or confrontational. Yet, it plays to what Jackie is going through as she is intrigued by Clyde as well as the unveiling of why she did this as the answers themselves don’t become easy to digest though Arnold is aware that the audiences are smart enough to know why. Overall, Arnold creates a very fascinating yet haunting film about obsession and loss.

Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does brilliant work with the film‘s photography from the grainy look of the video footage to some of the more entrancing lighting schemes for the scenes at night. Editor Nicolas Chaudeurge does great work with the editing by using some methodical cuts to play out some of the drama as well as some jump-cut to intensify some of these dramatic moments. Production designer Helen Scott does wonderful work with the look of the work place Jackie works at to the apartment where Clyde lives with Stevie and April.

Costume designer Carole K. Millar does nice work with the clothes as it‘s mostly casual for the characters to wear including some of the darker clothes of Jackie. Sound designer Douglas MacDougall is amazing for the atmosphere it creates in some of the scenes in the city and at Jackie’s work station to showcase the world of obsession. The film’s music consists largely of what is played on location as it features music by the Monkees and Oasis as well as cover of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart in the closing credits.

The casting by Kahleen Crawford and Des Hamilton is remarkable as it features some notable small roles from Andrew Armour as Jackie’s father-in-law, Paul Higgins as a co-worker/part-time lover of Jackie’s, and John Comerford as a man with a dog Jackie always watches. Martin Compston and Nathalie Press are wonderful as the young couple Stevie and April as two people struggling to find something in their lives as they’re both poor. Tony Curran is great as Clyde as a man trying to live a straight life as he’s eager to make contact with his daughter as he is intrigued by Jackie. Kate Dickie is marvelous as Jackie as a woman who is wondering about what Clyde is up to as Dickie brings a chilling presence as a woman trying to look from afar as she has no idea what she’s in for.

Red Road is a tremendous film from Andrea Arnold that features amazing performances from Kate Dickie and Tony Curran. The film is an intriguing look into the world of obsession as well as a woman dealing with her own intentions into that obsession. It’s a film with a sense of richness as well as an ugliness that adds to that world of realism and suspense. In the end, Red Road is an exhilarating film from Andrea Arnold.

Andrea Arnold Films: Fish Tank - Wuthering Heights (2011 film) - American Honey - Cow (2021 film) - Bird (2024 film) - (Featherwood) - The Auteurs #31: Andrea Arnold

© thevoid99 2013

Sweet Sixteen

Directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty, Sweet Sixteen is a Scottish teenage boy who is trying to make his life better for himself, his adult sister, and their convicted mother by becoming a drug dealer. Starring Martin Compston, William Ruane, Annmarie Fulton, Michelle Abercrombie, Michelle Coulter, and Gary McCormack. Sweet Sixteen is a powerful coming-of-age film from Ken Loach.

Liam (Martin Compston) is a trouble-making kid who likes to sell cigarettes to people with his best friend Pinball (William Ruane). Yet, Liam hopes to see his mother (Michelle Coulter) out of jail as she is to get out before his sixteenth birthday. Still, he has to deal with her lover Stan (Gary McCormack) and his grandfather (Tommy McKee) who force him to hide drugs whenever they visit his mother. After being kicked out of his grandfather’s house, Liam stays with his older sister Chantelle (Annmarie Fulton) and her son Calum (Calum McAlees). With Chantelle’s friend Suzanne (Michelle Abercrombie) often visiting, Liam feels that he needs to do something to give his family a better life as he and Pinball figure out what to do.

Realizing where Stan hides his stash of drugs, Liam and Pinball decides to steal them and make deals of their own with Liam using the profits to buy a trailer home. With the two making waves in small deals and Liam having bought the chance to get the trailer home, he makes sure that only he and Pinball know what they’re doing. When they decide to deal in a territory near another dealer, Liam gets himself into trouble as he manages to catch the attention of a powerful drug lord named Douglas (Jon Morrison). Though Pinball doesn’t like Douglas, Liam is entranced by what he has to offer where he asks Liam to make a hit on a man named Scullion (Robert Rennie) as a test.

With Liam inching closer to his dream, some thing happens that changes everything as he becomes suspicious over what happened. While Chantelle knows why he’s doing what he’s been doing, she tries to remind him about their mother and why she has a hard time dealing with her. Notably as Liam is forced to make moves and face harsh truths about everything he’s been doing.

The film is about a boy trying to get his mother away from her brash boyfriend and the harsh life that they been living by becoming a drug dealer. While he and his best friend have good intentions as it was just a temporary thing, the boy’s moves ends up getting the attention of a local drug lord who would give him things that would be bigger than he imagined. Yet, it would cause troubles as his friend feels neglected and the boy finds himself in a very different world though he remains focused on why he’s doing it.

Screenwriter Paul Laverty creates a somber story about a boy coming of age in the span of months before his sixteenth birthday. While Liam is just a kid who likes to cause some trouble and get away from his mother’s abusive boyfriend. Yet, the only people that really cares about him are his sister Chantelle and his best friend Pinball. Chantelle just wants him to be safe while Pinball makes sure he helps him with his goal as their ambitions in the dealing business is small. Unfortunately, drug-dealing isn’t some small-time thing as things eventually become complicated and friendships fall by the wayside. Still, Laverty focuses on Liam who is the central figure of the film as he is a good kid who makes bad choices though it’s its intentions are honorable. It is a truly engaging and heart wrenching story that is funny but also touching in what this boy is trying to do.

Ken Loach’s direction is truly potent in the way he plays a lot in the film naturally by opening the film innocently where little kids pay to see Saturn through a telescope. With this scene, it allows the audience to see that despite the film’s profane language and raw subject matter. It is a film about innocence where Loach keeps the camera in tact as it is presented in a full-frame format. There’s an intimacy to what Loach is doing throughout the film while following this boy and seeing the world from that boy’s eyes. A lot of it is presented in a loose, hand-held style with amazing compositions of Glasgow, Scotland to show the world he’s living in. Overall, Loach creates a superbly rich and poignant drama that is really mesmerizing.

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd does an excellent job with the film‘s lush yet naturalistic photography to capture the cold, damp look of Glasgow along with a few sunny moments for many of its daytime exterior and interior scenes. Ackroyd also creates some fantastic work for the nighttime scenes to help set the dark mood that is to happen during the second half of the film. Editor Jonathan Morris does a brilliant job with the editing as he maintains a straightforward approach to the cutting while keeping the pacing of the film leisured and simple.

Production designer Martin Johnson and art director Fergus Clegg do some good work with the set pieces created such as the trailer home and the places that Liam encounters throughout the film. Costume designer Carole K. Millar also does a good job with the costumes by maintaining a realistic look to what young kids wear to the suit that Douglas wears that makes him intimidating. Sound editor Kevin Brazier does a stellar job with the sound to capture the raucous world of Glasgow from its city to the quietness of the suburb.

The film’s music by George Fenton is wonderfully plaintive with its low-key, guitar-driven pieces and ambient-style tracks. The film’s soundtrack features an array of music including Manic Street Preachers, Robbie Williams, Sub Sub, and the Pretenders where the song I’ll Stand By You provides one of the most touching moments in the film.

The casting for the film is truly phenomenal as it includes some notable small performances from Tommy McKee as Liam’s foul-mouthed grandfather, Martin McCardie as Douglas’ right-hand man Tony, Robert Rennie as a dealer named Scullion, Calum McAlees as Liam’s nephew Calum, and as Liam’s pizza-delivery friends, Junior Walker and Gary Maitland. Jon Morrison is really good as the intimidating but calm drug dealer Douglas while Gary McCormack is great as the very aggressive Stan. Michelle Coulter is excellent as Liam’s weary mother who is amazed by what her son is doing as Coulter maintains a restrained performance of a woman that is being very quiet. Michelle Abercrombie is superb as Chantelle’s friend Suzanne who helps out with the family while being someone Liam and Pinball to really fall for.

William Ruane is amazing as Liam’s friend Pinball who helps him out with his dealings while trying to keep him in control though he is also a reckless kid who later feels neglected as he acts out his frustrations in style. Annmarie Fulton is brilliant as Liam’s older sister Chantelle who wonders what Liam is doing while being the one person who cares about him as she tries to tell him about their mother. Finally, there’s Martin Compston in a magnificent role as Liam which is debut performance. Compston brings a fiery energy to his character as he often fights his way through while proving to be a tender young lad as it is truly one of the best discoveries in film.

Sweet Sixteen is an outstanding film from Ken Loach that features a glorious performance from Martin Compost and a fantastic script from Paul Laverty. It is a film that is truly among one of Loach’s finest films of his celebrated career while it is also a great coming-of-age film that is up there with the greats. In the end, Sweet Sixteen is raw yet endearing film from Ken Loach and company.

Ken Loach Films: (Cathy Come Home) - (Poor Cow) - Kes - (The Save the Children Fund Film) - (Family Life) - (The Price of Coal) - (Black Jack) - (The Gamekeeper) - (Looks and Smiles) - (Which Side Are You On?) - (Fatherland) - (Hidden Agenda) - (Riff-Raff) - (Raining Stones) - (Ladybird Ladybird) - (Land and Freedom) - (A Contemporary Case of Common Ownership) - (Carla’s Song) - (The Flickering Flame) - (McLibel (1)) - (My Name is Joe) - (Bread & Roses) - (The Navigator) - (Ae Fond Kiss…) - (Tickets) - (McLibel (2)) - The Wind That Shakes the Barley - It’s a Free World… - Looking for Eric - (Route Irish) - (The Angel's Snare) - (The Spirit of '45) - Jimmy's Hall - I, Daniel Blake

© thevoid99 2011