The Road Dance (film)

The Road Dance is a 2022 film written by Richie Adams and John MacKay. The film is based on a novel by the same name, also written by MacKay. It is set in the early years of World War I on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, where it was also filmed.

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 in the road, hence the title, to honor the men before they leave the next day; however 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 she is pregnant and tries to hide it. She eventually tells her sister and mother, after learning that Murdo is dead. Kirsty gives birth prematurely and the baby dies. Overcome by her grief and the memories of the rape, Kirsty tries to commit suicide by jumping off a cliff while holding the baby. She is rescued by her mother but the baby falls.

The baby's body is discovered on the beach the following day and police Constable McRae investigates. He orders Maclean to examine Kirsty's body after learning that she could be the mother; however, Maclean lies on her behalf. Constable McRae orders a second examination from another doctor, who concurs and adds that Kirsty is a virgin. Kirsty realizes that her assailant was Maclean and confronts him. He commits suicide after she leaves. The constable discovers that the second physician had examined Annie, not Kirsty. He confronts the family but chooses to let the matter go after learning of the rape.

A year passes and Kirsty leaves to live with Murdo's uncle in America. The film ends on a happy note when she is reunited with Murdo, who is revealed to have been held as a prisoner of war in Germany.

Co-producer Jim Kreutzer had read 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 his own book, but Kreutzer thought it was too dark. Director Richie Adams re-fashioned the script. It was brought to the screen by producers Kreutzer and Maryilene Blondell.^[3]

Filming began in October, 2020 during 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]

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]

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 30 critics' reviews were positive, giving an average score of 6.80 out of 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 out of 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 it 3.5 out of 5 stars and praised the filming locations and strong cast.^[11] The Irish Times gave the film 3 out of 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]

The film premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (2021) where it won the Audience Award for Best Film. It later won the jury prize for best feature at the Manchester International Film Festival. Internationally, The Road Dance won the audience choice award for best feature drama at the Sedona International Film Festival.^[13]