More Forgiveness

Last night I watched an interesting film, Red Road , a prize winner at the Cannes film festival. Its set in the most depressing place I've ever seen depicted in a film: modern day Glasgow. It really seems even bleaker than the urban setting of Children of Men which was suppose to be set in a type of futuristic hell related to but distant from our own time. The story is about a woman who seeks an elaborate revenge against a man who accidentally (while high on crack) kills her husband and child. Katie Dickie, who I've never seen before, plays the woman in an excellent performance. She reclaims her humanity in the end thus my title but there are some excruciating scenes that capture the depth of her loss. The director and writer are also able to capture the pain and frustration of the aimless youths that populate this urban landscape. A very good film but not an easy movie to watch.