ABSTRACT
How could one possibly frame Jackie, the protagonist of Red Road (2006) as a femme fatale? She seems understated, quiet even. Hers is not the theatrical performativity of a femme fatale. She dresses modestly and works hard. The film’s language is not that of the noir, either classical or contemporary: Andrea Arnold’s film deploys documentary techniques and appears straightforward. This is deceptive, for the world the filmmaker creates is complex and her protagonist a woman who will use her sexuality to influence events. Jackie has a secret and a hidden agenda: she is planning a crime, using a man, who, indeed, following the usual narrative trope of film noir, is a stranger in town. Clearly this is not a schema which would take us very far, nonetheless it is worth bearing it in mind as a starting point.
