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The Road Dance is a 2022 film written by Richie Adams and John MacKay. The film is based on a book by the same name, MacKay. The film is set in the early years of World War I on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.
| The Road Dance | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Richie Adams |
| Written by | John MacKay and Richie Adams |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Petra Korner |
| Edited by | Matt Mayer |
| Music by | Carlos Jose Alvarez |
Production company | Sheridan Road Productions |
| Distributed by | Music Box Films (US, 2023)
Parkland Entertainment (Ireland, 2022) Parkland Entertainment (UK, 2022) |
Release date | 20 May 2022 |
| Countries | Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $381,680[1][2] |
Plot edit
Kirsty is a young woman who lives in Garenin with her widowed mother Mairi and sister Annie. She desperately wants to go to America with her boyfriend Murdo, but these plans are derailed when he and other young men are called up for service in The Great War. The town holds a cèilidh to honor them before they leave the following day, however later that night Kirsty is attacked by an unknown assailant. A subsequent examination by the village doctor Maclean shows that she was raped.
As time passes, Kirsty discovers that the rape resulted in a pregnancy and tries to hide it from everyone. She eventually tells her sister and mother, particularly after learning that Murdo is dead. Kirsty gives birth prematurely and the baby dies soon after. Overcome by her grief and the memories of the rape, Kirsty tries to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff but is rescued by her mother.
The baby's body is discovered on the beach the following day. Police Constable McRae is brought in to investigate. He orders Maclean to examine Kirsty's body after learning that she could be the mother, however Maclean lies on her behalf. McRae orders a second examination from another doctor, who concurs and adds that Kirsty is a virgin. Kirsty realizes that her assailant is Maclean and confronts him; he commits suicide after she leaves. McRae discovers that the second physician examined Annie, not Kirsty. He confronts the family but reluctantly chooses to let the matter go after learning of the rape.
A year passes and Kirsty leaves to live with her uncle in America. She is reunited with Murdo, who was revealed to have been held as a prisoner of war in Germany.
Cast edit
- Hermione Corfield as Kirsty Macleod
- Felicity Keenan as Young Kirsty
- Morven Christie as Mairi Macleod, Kirsty's mother
- Ali Fumiko Whitney as Annie Macleod, Kirsty's sister
- Will Fletcher as Murdo MacAulay, Kirsty's love interest
- Mark Gatiss as Dr Maclean
- Alison Peebles as Old Peggy, villager
- Sean Gilder as Peter, villager
- Jeff Stewart as Skipper, a recluse who Kirsty and her family help to look after
- Luke Nunn as Angus MacSween, a friend of Murdo's
- Tom Byrne as Iain Ban, a friend of Murdo's
- Scott Miller as Calum Morrison
- Ian Pirie as Constable McRae
- Liam Brennan as Mack Morrison
- David Brooks as Kirsty's father
Production edit
Development edit
Jim Kreutzer, who runs Sheridan Road Productions in Chicago, had read the book The Road Dance by journalist and author John Mackay and was looking for a project outside of the US. Mackay had already written a script based on the book but Kreutzer thought it was too dark. Kreutzer brought Richie Adams on board to write the script and direct the film.[3]
Filming edit
Filming began in October 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and was filmed on location at Gearrannan Blackhouse Village (a restored village) near Carloway on the Isle of Lewis.[4][5]
Release edit
The film was premiered at the 2021 Edinburgh International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Film.[6] The film was released on 20 May 2022.[7]
Critical response edit
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 30 critics' reviews were positive with an average score of 6.80/10.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a mixed score of 54, based on 7 reviews.[9]
The Guardian review gave the film 3/5 stars, stating "Although a little too performatively Scottish at times, this is a competently made weepie that should please fans of the book."[10] The Sydney Morning Herald gave the film 3.5/5 stars and praised the filming locations and the strong cast.[11] The Irish Times gave the film 3/5 stars. They praised the acting and production but compared the story to an afternoon movie along the lines of a Catherine Cookson novel.[12]
Awards edit
The Road Dance premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (2021) where it won the Audience Award for Best film. The film won the jury prize for best feature at the Manchester International Film Festival. Internationally, the film won the audience choice award for best feature drama at the Sedona International Film Festival.[13]
References edit
- ^ "The Road Dance". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "The Road Dance". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Alexander, Michael (14 May 2022). "The Road Dance: A 'little gem of a film' about hope and grief in the Hebrides". The Courier (Dundee). Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "THE ROAD DANCE FILM RELEASED". VisitScotland. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Gilmour, Lauren (20 May 2022). "Tourism hope for Outer Hebrides as new film showcases beauty of islands". The Independent. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (30 June 2023). "Music Box Takes U.S. Rights To Edinburgh Film Festival Winner 'The Road Dance' Starring Hermione Corfield". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "The Road Dance (2022)". The Numbers. The Numbers. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "The Road Dance". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ "The Road Dance". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (22 May 2022). "The Road Dance review – a sweeping Hebridean weepie". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Hall, Sandra (7 December 2022). "There's little joy to be found in the harsh and secretive Road Dance". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Clarke, Donald (20 May 2022). "The Road Dance: A pleasant, middling sort of story". The Irish Times. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (30 June 2023). "Edinburgh-Winning Scottish Romance 'The Road Dance' Snapped Up for the U.S. by Music Box Films". Variety. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
