The Road Dance: 1 (Hebrides)

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It was the power of the story that drew me first. Everything else followed from there. I found that when I began writing The Road Dance, I had a strong sense of place and community because of my family connections and the time had spent there. After the positive reaction to The Road Dance, especially people’s appreciation of the setting, it made sense to set my other stories there. My most recent novel, Home (Luath Press 2021), could only have been set in the Western Isles because it charts the lives of different generations who pass through one home. That doesn’t really happen in urban areas.” Under the watchful eyes of family and neighbours young people clutch a bible,keep up appearances and enjoy dances as a way to socialise,snatch intimate moments and add joy to their hardworking lives. I loved the war scene too. They cleared an old quarry, and it was so atmospheric to act in. That was an amazing day, that all the boys really enjoyed.” The Road Dance scene. Credit: Parkland Entertainment What was your favourite memory from making The Road Dance?

The Road Dance, directed by Richard Adams, is a historical melodrama set on a remote Scottish island during World War I. Kirsty, played by Hermione Corfield, is assaulted by a group of soldiers and becomes pregnant as a result. She tries to hide her pregnancy for almost seven months, knowing that revealing it would ruin her reputation and bring shame to her family. The village gossip, Old Peggy, becomes suspicious of Kirsty and begins to spread rumors. We walked a very thin line between telling the true story – it was based on true events – yet at the same time making it entertaining and not so terribly dark and depressing that no one would want to see it. Life on this island was a constant struggle against the raw power of nature. It lay on the very western edge of Europe and was first to bear the brunt of the uninterrupted Atlantic storms and last to feel the warmth of the continental air streams from the south. It was the outpost of the continent, and it had about it the wildness and harshness of the frontier. The film is visually stunning, with gorgeous cinematography by Petra Korner that captures both the beauty and loneliness of the isolated island. Corfield's performance as Kirsty is impressive, injecting emotional impact into the script. However, the film fails to fully commit to its protagonist, and the story whittles down to a whimper.That’s difficult, there really are so many. The cast all went for a day out in Harris, and we saw beautiful waterfalls and scenery. That was the last weekend, when the film had all been wrapped, so we were sad it was coming to an end, and it was good to have a day out altogether. I hadn’t even thought of it until the actor David Hayman first suggested it when he came into STV for an interview.

If you are familiar with the book, you may find that the ‘twist’ is revealed too easily and too early. If you enjoy the costumes of The Outlander, this has similar vibes. If you like your films fast paced with lots of chaotic action, then The Road Dance is not your usual watch, but don’t dismiss it out of hand; a change of pace and genre may be just what you need right now. If you love seeing literature laced through your viewing, you will adore The Road Dance. If you want to provoke a discussion with young people about the issues involved, there is a whole workshop based around this film begging to be written. If you are someone who has been affected by sexual trauma, then I simply want to warn you that that is included, but to reassure you that the resolution of the film is overwhelmingly heartening. Hermione Corfield, who has appeared in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, is set to star as main character Kirsty. Ide, Wendy (22 May 2022). "The Road Dance review – a sweeping Hebridean weepie". The Guardian . Retrieved 24 October 2023. He trusted us, knowing our deep desire to bring this story to the big screen was going to be as true to his book as we possibly could.” John] has been so gracious to us throughout this whole process. He has never wavered in his support and belief in us, nor did he ever make strong or outrageous demands in how we adapted his book to the screen,” she said.

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I’m a journalist by profession and what always grabs me is the story. I had an ambition to write a novel – as many of us do – and when I heard the story that formed the basis of The Road Dance, I knew that if I didn’t write it, I would never write anything.” Maryilene, who understood the family-centric “small-ness” of Scotland through her parents’ roots on the Isle of Bute, worked hard behind the scenes to convince the people of Lewis that they were serious about the project and keeping islanders safe.