The Road Dance

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2:39

The Road Dance

2023

1h 56m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Kirsty Macleod (Hermione Corfield) dreams of a better life away from the isolation that suffocates her in a small village on an island in the Outer Scottish Hebrides. Suppressing these aspirations, she sees her lover Murdo (Will Fletcher) conscripted for service in the First World War, soon to set off and fight alongside the other young men from the village. A road dance is held in their honor the evening before they depart, and it's on this fateful evening that Kirsty's life takes a dramatic and tragic turn.

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Critics Consensus

An elegantly old-fashioned period drama, The Road Dance is distinguished by striking cinematography and Hermione Corfield's breakout performance.

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Glenn Kenny

RogerEbert.com

10/13/2023

2/4

We’re left with the pretty scenery and a free-floating sense of inconsequentiality.

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Zachary Barnes

Wall Street Journal

10/12/2023

The result has neither the full force of realism nor the emotional pleasures of melodrama; what it most calls to mind is something seen and half-forgotten on PBS.

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Beatrice Loayza

New York Times

10/12/2023

A standard period drama that arrives at hard truths with a hammy delivery.

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Codie Allen

Geek Vibes Nation

Jul 25

8/10

The Road Dance presents a beautifully crafted narrative, albeit with a few imperfections, that explores a woman's unwavering resilience amidst adversity.

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Jackie K. Cooper

jackiekcooper.com

10/28/2023

7/10

A serendipity of a movie with twists and turns I absolutely did not see coming.

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

10/26/2023

B-

Essentially a period tearjerker about a woman’s resilience in the face of tragedy, but an evocative, emotionally effective one, anchored by a powerful lead performance by Hermione Corfield.

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Par H

@Parhwy Jul 4

The Road Dance (2022) is a 118-minute-long British drama I saw on Prime in July 2026. This is such beautiful and painful film. I have seen it twice. I watched it the first time because I adore Hermoine Corfield and also because it’s set in an era and an area I frankly would not expect to see often (Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides of Scotland, 1916). The beauty and the hurt, the pain, coexist, entwined within gender roles and inequality, moral righteousness versus legal correctness. The film addresses strong topics well. The ending took the wind out of me, made me cry, unexpectedly yet not with a cheap plot trick. Rewatch? Maybe (the topic is harsh). Recommend? Yes. 8/10.

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Adrienne M

@RT56888528 Nov 25

Fantastic script, casting, ensemble, direction, pacing, acting, cinematography, costumes, sets, scenery, everything! Exciting and heartwarming. Leaves you feeling closure and really satisfied!

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Corazon A

@RT58771945 Oct 6

A good period drama about a woman's struggle. The love story and town and scenic beauty won me over. Acting was great. I felt transformed into that time.

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Rebekah M

@RT55163611 02/19/2025

romance, mystery, drama, scenery. So much i really did not expect and what's more, i felt every bit of it as if it was happening to me. Beautiful actors, beautiful characters, and lots of emotion and suspense.

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Marco R

@RT89807031 10/08/2024

Great film, great scenery, great acting, great costumes, a love story with tragedy and turns and twists

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Steve C

@RT19610513 09/21/2024

Reads the synopsis. Guesses the "dramatic and tragic turn". Watches the film. Prediction correct. Reads a few other reviews on RT and notices a mention about a "twist ending". Guesses the twist ending.... well... all too easy to guess :/

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Richie Adams

Director

Hermione Corfield

Kirsty Macleod

Morven Christie

Mairi Macleod

Mark Gatiss

Doctor Maclean

Ali Fumiko Whitney

Annie Macleod

Will Fletcher

Murdo MacAulay

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The Road Dance: Trailer 1

2:39

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Synopsis

Kirsty Macleod (Hermione Corfield) dreams of a better life away from the isolation that suffocates her in a small village on an island in the Outer Scottish Hebrides. Suppressing these aspirations, she sees her lover Murdo (Will Fletcher) conscripted for service in the First World War, soon to set off and fight alongside the other young men from the village. A road dance is held in their honor the evening before they depart, and it's on this fateful evening that Kirsty's life takes a dramatic and tragic turn.

Director: Richie Adams
Producer: Jim Kreutzer, Maryilene Blondell, Steve Shapiro
Screenwriter: Richie Adams
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: Sheridan Road Productions, Wind Chill Media Group, Uinta Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 13, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.6K
Runtime: 1h 56m