Red Road and Other Scottish Films

Highlighting a Range of Talent from Ewan McGregor to Samantha Morton

Apr 2, 2009 Andrea Beca

A glimpse at five Scottish films you may not have heard of, but should watch immediately.

The Scots have a way with film - it's as though they have two very distinct sides to their movie personality. On one hand, loud, edgy films like Trainspotting have put Scotland on the movie map, but on the other, they sure know how to make a quiet, yet intense and moving film. What follows is a look at five essential Scottish films, some more familiar than others, and all of them well worth watching.

5. Shallow Grave (1994) (Starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, and Kerry Fox; Written by John Hodge, and Directed by Danny Boyle)

Shallow Grave is a fairly well known film, since it was made by the same team who wrote and directed Trainspotting two years later. Shallow Grave follows a brief moment in history for three flatmates whose fourth roommate dies suddenly and leaves them with a large sum of money. The question of what to do with both the cash and the body puts a serious strain on the friendships; a psychological thriller ensues. (Full review here.)

4. The Acid House (1998) (Starring Ewen Bremmer, Kevin McKidd, and Maurice Roëves; Written by Irvine Welsh, and Directed by Paul McGuigan)

Possessing a similar attitude to Trainspotting, but without the high level of commercial appeal, The Acid House, like the book upon which it is based (also by Irvine Welsh), is presented as three short pieces. From being turned into a fly by God to being electrocuted while experiencing acid hallucinations, The Acid House has a lot of the bizarre and grotesque to offer audiences.

3. Morvern Callar (2002) (Starring Samantha Morton, Kathleen McDermott, and Andrew Flanagan; Written by Lynne Ramsay and Liana Dognini, and Directed by Lynne Ramsay)

Based on the novel by Alan Warner, Morvern Callar tells the story of a quiet supermarket employee, Morvern Callar, whose boyfriend commits suicide and leaves her with a finished manuscript to submit to various publishers. Instead of following his detailed instructions, however, she changes the name on the manuscript to her own. Then she uses the subsequent book-deal money to run away to Ibiza with her best friend. Everything seems fine until the publishers come asking for the second book of the two-book contract. Oh, and the fact that Morvern has her boyfriend's dead body to deal with. (Full review here.)

2. Ratcatcher (1999) (Starring William Eadie and Tommy Flanagan; Written and Directed by Lynne Ramsay)

Probably one of the quietest movies you will ever see, Ratcatcher is a slice-of-life film set in Glasgow in 1973 when the garbage men went on strike. Bags and bags of garbage start to pile up in the yards of tenement buildings, leaving children with nowhere to play but amongst the filth. James, the 12-year-old boy who is the focus of the film, tries to cope with living in a dilapidated flat with his alcoholic father, his mother, and his sisters. They share a dream of moving into a new council flat. Things spiral downward for James when his friend drowns in the canal behind his tenement block.

1. Red Road (2006) (Starring Kate Dickie and Tony Curran; Written and Directed by Andrea Arnold)

Another quiet, but intense film, Red Road won five BAFTA awards the year it was released, including best film, best director, and best screenplay. Red Road follows Jackie, a thirty-something CCTV operator with a complicated past. On most days, she watches the people of Glasgow going about their daily lives on a wall of television screens in her office. But one day, she sees an unexpected face appear on her screen; it's a face from her past, a face she never thought she would see again. Before long, Jackie has become obsessed with following Clyde on the CCTV, and eventually she gathers the courage to confront him in an attempt to gain closure in her life. (Full review here.)

Check out Orphans, Young Adam, and Other Scottish Films.

The copyright of the article Red Road and Other Scottish Films in Foreign Films is owned by Andrea Beca. Permission to republish Red Road and Other Scottish Films in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Red Road, Written and Directed by Andrea Arnold	Shallow Grave, Starring Ewan McGregor	Irvine Welsh's The Acid House
Samantha Morton in Morvern Callar	Lynne Ramsay's Ratcatcher