The Road Dance (film)

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, also written by MacKay. The film is set in the early years of World War I on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides.

Plot
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.

Development
Jim Kreutzer 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. Producers Kreutzer and MaryIlene Blondell worked tirelessly to develop and bring this epic story to the big screen.

Filming
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.

Release
The film was premiered at the 2021 Edinburgh International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Film. The film was released on 20 May 2022.

Critical response
On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 30 critics' reviews were positive with an average score of 6.80/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a mixed score of 54, based on 7 reviews.

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." The Sydney Morning Herald gave the film 3.5/5 stars and praised the filming locations and the strong cast. 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.

Awards
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.