Ratcatcher - Criterion Collection
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Features
• Anamorphic
• Color
• DVD-Video
• Subtitled
• Widescreen
• NTSC
In Theaters : 1998
DVD Release : 10 September, 2002 |
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Ratcatcher - Criterion Collection description
Brutality and hope intertwine in this quiet coming-of-age story. Set in a Glasgow, Scotland, slum during a 1973 trash collectors' strike, the film follows young James, shaken after accidentally causing the death of a friend, who dreams of moving into newly built council flats. The loosely plotted slice-of-life piece moves between James's family and his ... review details
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Ratcatcher - Criterion Collection Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Hi, Snowball
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In almost every essay that you will read concerning Ramsay's debut feature length film will make mention of the beautiful opening sequence which depicts a young boy playing amongst his mother's lace curtains. This scene which could easily be quite harmless and smile inducing instead has a quite ominous tone to it. The boy, whose name we soon learn is Ryan Quinn, is completely wrapped within the curtain and moves it a very slow fashion as if he was a corpse that was slowly returning to life. To add an even darker tone to this image, the music playing is quite haunting. Although a bit disturbing, the viewer quickly finds him or herself drawn into this almost surreal world at least until Ryan Quinn's mother smacks him on the back of the head thereby destroying the ambiance of this fascinating scene. This surrealistic scene and its destruction by harsh reality make up the overall framework of this almost heartbreaking film.
Soon after having his head smacked, Ryan Quinn and his mother disembark to go see his father, but instead of going along, Ryan Quinn runs off to meet his friend James at a canal. The two friends soon begin a harmless fight from within the water, but after Ryan Quinn dunks and holds James' head under water a bit too long, James angrily pushes the younger boy and runs away, but Ryan Quinn does not follow. He instead drowns within the murk. A short time later we see James' mother looking out the window at the drowned boy's body and she is relieved at the sight of her own son. She had thought it was he who had died. However, a bit of James did die that day. The weight of guilt bores down on his narrow shoulders throughout the duration of the film, and one wonders if he can truly overcome it.
Ratcatcher takes place in Glasgow, Scotland in the year 1973. A year in which all of the trash collectors went on strike and piles of black trash bags piled up until they completed dominated the scenery. Unlike many films that star a child protagonist, Ratcatcher does not attempt to give the viewer a childlike, naA ve glimpse of poverty that might be experienced by a child, but instead depicts the harsh reality of such a life and how it can leave scars upon the heart. In several scenes scrapes and bruises are shown on children and young adults and one waits to see them fester and turn the younger folk into twisted adults. This does not mean that there are no brighter moments within this film, but they are indeed few and far between and often become nothing more than dust.
The acting in this film is quite good. William Eadie does a spectacular job in his depiction of James and some points, such as when he is with Ryan Quinn's mother, truly grip the heart because of the guilt ridden expression on his face. Tommy Flanagan as "Da" is also quite good. Combine this with a truly haunting soundtrack, and you have one stellar film. |
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Ratcatcher - Criterion Collection dvd movie.