Review of Ratcatcher (1999) by Sarah F — 12 Oct 2006

Ever heard of Lynne Ramsey? For most of you - probably not. She is a filmmaker from Scotland, and as fas as I am concerned, this movie is a masterpiece. Which, in my view, makes her an absolute genius.

Ok, so now I've shown my colours. I dig foreign movies, especially British, Scottish and Irish. For those that loved Trainspotting, you should be able to relate. For this movie, this work of art, I am forced to use a mish-mash of seemingly unrelated adjectives: gritty, bleak, quiet, beautiful, desperate and, most importantly, absolutely moving.

And convincing. Ok, that's the build-up. If you have seen this movie and already you think I am wrong in my praise, here is my advice: Stop reading now. Never read my reviews again. And go to Blockbuster and rent yourself Starship Troopers 2.

Chances are, you'll think that movie is great. This movie, and movies like it (part of a series called the "Criterion Collection") have that "common thread" of being pictures that move you on a very deep level.

If you have seen Northfork, again, you get the picture. This movie deals with the garbage strikes of the early 1970's and is set in the projects of Glasgow, Scotland. The central character, "James" , is a young boy who causes the accidental drowning of a fellow mate, but the drowning is perceived as wholly accidental as the tenament residents think the boy was alone when he died.

James deals with guilt as only a boy less than 10 years old can. But, amazingly that is not even the central point of the movie. Turns out James' family is holding out for a new apartment and this theme is always in the background as James goes about his day.

Which consists of hanging out with his retarded buddy "Kenny" and a little girl who, to be liked by others, especially boys, makes her body an available play thing. In between all of this, are the rats, ever present because of the garbage building up in the projects.

The boys catch and kill them to pass time. Which is where the movie gets its title. I can't do this movie justice in words. Rent it, if you can find it. BTW, despite the characters speaking in "English", the movie has subtitles as the accents are so heavy, you can barely make out what is being said.