Living in Scotland during World War I, Kirsty Macleod (Hermione Corfield) falls in love with a man just before he’s sent off to fight for his country. The night before he leaves, during a party referred to as The Road Dance, something horrible happens to Kirsty that will forever change her life. She must now deal with the consequences of what has transpired, whether she likes it or not.
The Road Dance takes place in the early 1900’s in the beautiful Outer Hebrides, and the incredible setting sets the tone of the film early on. Kirsty exists in a place that is isolated from the rest of the world, and while it’s aesthetically stunning, it’s made clear that there is little opportunity for the people living here. It’s a wonderful juxtaposition that is developed early in The Road Dance and that exists throughout the entirety of the film, creating a balance that extends itself from beginning to end and allows viewers to see both the good and bad in life and in the film.
To create a world that is so drastically different from the one that we currently live in, yet so brilliantly envelops us is impressive, and that’s what Writer-Director Richie Adams is able to do with The Road Dance. Adams and his team brings us back in time to a place that was much simpler (at least where the film takes place is much simpler), where we weren’t reliant on technology each and every day, where conversation was had on a regular basis–conversation that benefitted us and our way of living. I believe it’s hard for many people to understand this way of life, and yet Adams is able to build a bridge that effectively connects us throughout the course of The Road Dance. I don’t know what living more than one hundred years ago was like, but I was able to appreciate it, and I felt like I was able to understand this way of life better than ever before.
Adams uses a bit of misdirection to pull viewers further into the film. What initially feels like a standard romance, one that has been done millions of times before, quickly shifts into something far different: a thrilling mystery that begs viewers to play along. It feels like Adams runs the risk of losing a portion of his audience in the early going, but as soon as the shift in the film occurs, The Road Dance extends itself in so many directions. Sure, Adams effectively saves his film, but what it does is simply make the film far more interesting than it initially promised–and from this point forward the mystery plays out in brilliant fashion.
Again, I believed that The Road Dance would be a film that traveled down the same road of romance that had come so many times before. However, it quickly shifts into something far more entertaining, something more vicious and interestingly beautiful. Through the juxtapositional aesthetic, the stellar acting, and Adams’ ability to transport us to another place in time, The Road Dance thrives almost in its entirety.
Directed by Richie Adams.
Written by Richie Adams & John MacKay.
Starring Hermione Corfield, Morven Christie, Will Fletcher, Ali Fumiko Whitney, Jeff Stewart, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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