Review of Ratcatcher (1999) by Al M — 10 May 2013
Ratcatcher throws the viewer off right from the start by focalizing upon a child who will die momentarily before shifting the focalization to follow his friend who tries to grapple with not only his death but also the darkness and meaningless cruelty of the world that surrounds him.
The debut feature of Lynne Ramsay, Ratcatcher takes place during a sanitation-worker strike in Glasgow that has left the city filled with stinking garbage and rats. But James, the protagonist, discovers that the world in general seems to filled with little more than garbage and rats.
A film about quotidian cruelty, Ratcatcher follows a young boy dealing with guilt and trying to find meaning amongst meaninglessness. Bleak but somewhat hopeful, Ratcatcher is unforgettably masterful not only for its story but also for the truly unique style that Ramsay develops through such basic cinematic elements as angles, camera distance, camera movement, and framing.
This review of Ratcatcher (1999) was written by Al M on 10 May 2013.
Ratcatcher has generally received very positive reviews.
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