ANDREA ARNOLD

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BBBB.5. 

United Kingdom/Denmark, 2006.  Advanced Party Scheme, BBC Films, Glasgow Film Office, Scottish Screen, Sigma Films, UK Film Council, Verve Pictures, Zentropa Entertainments, Zoma Films Ltd..  Screenplay by Andrea Arnold, based on characters created by Lone Scherfig, Anders Thomas Jensen.  Cinematography by Robbie Ryan.  Produced by Carrie Comerford.  Production Design by Helen Scott.  Costume Design by Carole K. Millar.  Film Editing by Nicolas Chaudeurge.  Cannes Film Festival 2006.  Toronto International Film Festival 2006.

Jackie (Kate Dickie) works as an operator of a closed-circuit monitor that oversees a rough Glasgow street, informing police authorities whenever she sees a crime being committed. One evening on a routine shift, she sees the face of the man responsible for having destroyed her family years earlier. He has been released from prison early for good behaviour, sending Jackie into an emotional downward spiral that has her facing demons she’d left dormant for many years. What transpires from there is a tale of revenge and retribution in which she puts herself through some incredible challenges in a wholly captivating drama that reveals its secrets one by one in tantalizing fashion. Oscar-winning director Andrea Arnold does a fantastic job of pacing the film methodically without ever letting the cord of tension flag for a moment. The film is exceptional from its opening frame, and the plunge into the underworld it portrays is unforgettable.