Ratcatcher [Widescreen]

Set in Glasgow in the early seventies when the city was in the midst of a garbage strike, “Ratcatcher” is an evocative and powerful examination of working class life seen through the eyes of twelve year old James Gillespie (William Eadie). When the film begins James inadvertently finds himself the cause of a friend’s drowning. Living with this secret becomes increasingly difficult and he dreams of an escape from his life on a council housing estate, and an escape from the guilt he feels over his friend’s death. Realism is one of the strengths, historically, of British cinema and Ramsay’s film is both a taking off from the pioneer work of filmmakers such as Anderson, Loach and Leigh, as well as a poetic extension of this tradition. There is bleakness and sadness in “Ratcatcher”, but there are also moments of startling beauty and humanity. Ramsey is particularly good at suggesting the world as seen through a child’s eye, as well as detailing the clumsiness and awkward emotions of adolescent sexuality. With the most economic of means, Ramsay immediately immerses the audience in the textures and sounds of 1970s Glasgow. Most importantly, without didactism, without bombast, she eloquently gives voice to the immensity of suffering bought on by poverty; and moves us with a poignant testament to the dignity of human struggle. Cast also includes Tommy Flanagan and Mandy Matthews.