Jackie (Kate Dickie) monitors a bank of surveillance cameras at a private security firm, watching over a decaying housing estate in Glasgow. Her daily routine feels like a mechanical exercise, merely going through the motions — until one day she spots Clyde (Tony Curran) on the footage. Clyde is a figure from her past, and his sudden reappearance, coupled with her obsessive interest in him, unravels a complex story of loss, vengeance, and the possibility of redemption. 

In Red Road, director Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank, American Honey) brings a sharp, evocative eye to the screen, blending dark sensuality with an underlying tension. Her keen attention to detail, along with moments of unexpected humor, adds layers to the film’s moody atmosphere. Red Road is one of the most striking British film debuts in recent years — a poignant exploration of human emotions wrapped in the rawness of poetic realism — and it received widespread acclaim, winning the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. 

The opportunity to make this film has an interesting origin. Fresh from her Oscar-winning short Wasp, Arnold was invited to join a trio of first-time directors tasked with creating films for the Advance Party project — a planned trilogy of films set in Scotland, featuring the same set of characters. Though the trilogy was never completed, Arnold’s contribution, Red Road, was a standout, with a gripping, standalone narrative that revealed an already fully formed style: gritty, intense, and emotionally charged. 

The film also bears the influence of directors like Michael Haneke and Lars von Trier, whose cold, detached approach to human relationships is echoed in Arnold’s exploration of isolation and obsession. The title refers to the Red Road tower blocks — high-rise public housing that dominated the area and became synonymous with crime and anti-social behavior. Through this setting, Arnold also delves into themes of poverty, class, and the harsh impact of societal structures on personal lives, a recurring motif in her work. 

This psychological thriller no longer has an American distributor, making this screening a rare chance to see Arnold’s first film — a gripping, emotionally charged work that solidified her status as a filmmaker to watch. Winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.