Red Road

Red Road

Year: 2007

Runtime: 113 min

Language: English

Director: Andrea Arnold

DramaMysteryThriller

In the underbelly of Glasgow, surveillance operative Jackie becomes increasingly preoccupied with Clyde, a former convict. Her routine observations evolve into a deliberate pursuit as she engineers a meeting. As their paths converge, Jackie’s actions expose a tangled story of longing, a quest for atonement, and the ambiguous nature of right and wrong, all set against a backdrop of hidden truths and intense psychological suspense.

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Timeline & Setting – Red Road (2007)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Red Road (2007). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Glasgow, Red Road Flats

Set in Glasgow, the film centers on the Red Road Flats, a stark high-rise public housing estate that serves as the backdrop for a story about surveillance and obsession. The location underscores a bleak, industrial atmosphere where CCTV is omnipresent. The Red Road Flats are a recognizable landmark in the city, emblematic of social housing and urban isolation.

🏙️ Urban 🕵️ Surveillance 🧱 Brutalist architecture

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:25

Main Characters – Red Road (2007)

Meet the key characters of Red Road (2007), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Jackie Morrison

A Glasgow CCTV operator who becomes consumed with Clyde Henderson after spotting him on monitors. Her obsession drives her to manipulate events and attempt to frame him, motivated by personal trauma and a desire for control.

🕵️ Obsession 👁️ Surveillance 🧭 Morality

Clyde Henderson

An ex-prisoner released on good behaviour who becomes the object of Jackie's fixation. He has a complicated past, including a history with a daughter he has lost touch with, and becomes entangled in a central conflict that culminates in a dramatic revelation.

🗝️ Ex-convict 🧩 Complexity ⚖️ Justice

Stevie

Clyde's fellow ex-con and flatmate who hosts gatherings at his apartment. He serves as a social connection point for Clyde and a backdrop to the events surrounding the central relationship.

🎭 Supporting 🧱 Urban life

Husband (deceased)

Jackie's husband, dead in a car accident that becomes a pivotal element of her motive and the story's emotional engine.

💔 Loss 🕯️ Tragedy

Daughter (deceased)

Jackie's daughter, also killed in the same car accident that ties Clyde to Jackie's personal tragedy.

💔 Loss 🕊️ Grief

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:25

Major Themes – Red Road (2007)

Explore the central themes of Red Road (2007), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

👁️ Surveillance

The film uses Jackie's CCTV surveillance to probe how watching conditions both the watcher and the watched. Her obsessive tracking of Clyde turns intimate vulnerabilities into leverage, showing how information can be weaponized. The atmosphere emphasizes paranoia and the erosion of privacy in a surveilled urban setting. Surveillance itself becomes a central character that drives the plot.

💔 Trauma

Jackie's past trauma, including the loss of her husband and daughter, fuels her actions and justifies escalating risk. The narrative centers on how grief can distort judgment and justify morally ambiguous choices. The revelation that Clyde is connected to her family tragedy reframes the chase as a cycle of blame and guilt. The car accident that severed her family acts as a catalyst for the film's emotional intensity.

🤫 Truth & Deception

Deception drives the central conflict: Jackie fabricates a rape accusation to trap Clyde, then wrestles with the moral cost of her lie. The film probes how individuals justify harmful acts in pursuit of closure or revenge. When the truth about the past comes to light, the characters confront the limits of forgiveness and the enduring impact of past violence.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:25

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Red Road Summary

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Red Road Summary

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Red Road Timeline

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