Andrea Arnold must be one of the finest and at the same time twisted directors working in Britain today. I have seen only two of her feature films to date, and they both ooze style and class. Her ideas, particularly in crafting the screenplay is very original and exciting. Both the films I’ve seen are exquisite little gems and have rightly been very well received in festival circuits and competitions.
Like her 2006 mystery drama, “Red Road”, which won a BAFTA and also at Cannes among many others. I’m even surprised it didn’t win more accolades considering the screenplay is so well done – the film takes on the air of a gripping thriller, and the climax is very well constructed. The direction is as in-your-face as it is charming. As for the editing, I never knew CCTV footage could be used in as exciting a manner, even if I loath its very invention – an Orwellian concept of some big brother watching over us children – and it is not an over-reaction because we in Britain have had to put up with this indignity like no other country. I was also surprised that so much production value could be achieved with as small a budget (talking of which, the film was partly funded from the National Lottery proceedings – an excellent use of public money if you ask me). The cinematography is of high quality, and the soundtrack appealing. Also noteworthy are the convincing performances from the actors playing the lead characters – Kate Dickie and Tony Curran. This is a beautiful yet sinister film, it was a revelation to me when I first saw it, and therefore, Highly Recommended Viewing..!
Amazon Blu-ray Link (superb value for money)
Storyline: (truncated)
Jackie, a widow, works at a security agency monitoring public CCTV around a Glaswegian housing estate. One day she recognises a face from the past and keeps a tab on him until she decides to confront its owner, Clyde, face-to-face. And what a confrontation this turns out to be! We will learn what Jackie’s obsession was all about, and perhaps also understand her reasoning…
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