Film| Cert: 15 | ★★★★✩

Adapted by writer-director Richie Adams (Of Mind and Music) from John MacKay’s hugely popular novel of the same name, this Scottish romantic drama is set on an island in the Outer Scottish Hebrides on the eve of the First World War.

It stars Hermione Corfield (Rust Creek, Fallen), newcomer Will Fletcher (soon to be appearing in a new Lord of the Rings TV series) and comedy writer and prolific actor Mark Gatiss. The film won the Audience Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2021.

Kirsty MacLeod (Corfield) dreams of a better life away from the isolation of her small village on an island in the Outer Hebrides. Suppressing her dreams of freedom, Kirsty is heartbroken when her lover Murdo (Will Fletcher) is conscripted for service in the war and is soon to set off and fight alongside other young men from the village. Catastrophe strikes when a “road dance” held in honour of those heading to the front ends in tragedy for the young woman.

While not entirely without fault — the stereotypical Scottish jollity often feels jarringly gauche and more than a little wince-inducing — there is a lot to love about this small yet surprisingly effective romantic drama.

Thematically, The Road Dance does a great job of highlighting the struggles of young women at the turn of the last century. While not providing an explicitly feminist approach to the story, writer-director Richie Adams should be commended for his delicate handling the subject of rape and violence against women, which he does with impressive dexterity and attention to detail.

Contrivances aside, The Road Dance is often elevated by two stunning central performances courtesy Corfield and Fletcher, while Petra Korner’s stunning cinematography gorgeously captures the arid solitude of Hebridean landscape. All of which is sure to make for a cosy afternoon watch if nothing more.