Ratcatcher

Reviews

CinemaSerf
It was quite odd watching this because I was just a little younger than the character of "James" (William Eadie) living in Glasgow in the 1970s. I remember the nine-week long dustmen strike that left tons of rubbish piled up all over the place. We lived in a mouse-infested one bed flat similar to the ones in the tenement buildings featured here, and that canal - well it was an overgrown, disease-ridden, deathtrap that had long been abandoned to nature. Back then, there was still ample waste ground - bomb damaged and cleared after the war, for us kids to play on, and that's what we did. Nobody had a car or a phone - or, for that matter, a washing machine, so when he goes out to play no wonder he was meant to tuck his trouser legs into his wellies! Mind you, I'd have thought the canal way too cold for him and his mate "Ryan" (Thomas McTaggart) to be be mucking around in, but that is what they are doing when tragedy strikes. It's this that forms the bedrock for this engagingly observational story of him and his life with his drunk of a father (Tommy Flanagan); caring, but no-nonsense mother (Mandy Matthews) and young sister. The photography powerfully depicts the squalor in which they live, ever hopeful that the folks from the council are going to come and offer them a new home on the city's outskirts where "James" dreams of having a real plumbed bath and a field of corn to play in. He also befriends "Margaret Anne" (Leanne Mullen), a slightly older girl who spends much of her time giving his mates their first semi-sexual experiences in her flat or in the cludgie. Alone else remember the "nit comb"? That actually proves to be the most unlikely of romantic conduits as the two use that and a hefty dose of eye-watering carbolic soap to discover a bond, a companionship, and some genuine moments of affection. Eadie is great here, he delivers in a most natural of styles and aided by Flanagan as his permanently sozzled but never violent father, by Matthews and by the remarkably engaging effort from his "retarded" neighbour "Kenny" (John Miller), presents us with a sense of a family and a community that certainly speaks most of the time in swear words, but still has standards of decency and a strong sense of looking out for each other. We were never a community that showed affection in any sentimental sense and with virtually no technology to rely on, we made our own entertainment - however grubby and dangerous it might look nowadays. Lynne Ramsay portrays that gritty urban living potently and plausibly here whilst remembering that this city is also populated by some of the most entertainingly sarcastic people on Earth. The "schemes" of Glasgow were nowhere to to live in 1973, but everyone was in the same boat - and that is really effectively demonstrated in this poignant search for hope, freedom and some hot water.
Movie Recommendation
- Morvern Callar2002-11-01After her boyfriend commits suicide, a young woman attempts to use the unpublished manuscript of a novel and a sum of money he left behind to reinvent her life.More...
- Red Road2006-10-27Jackie is a CCTV operator. One day, a man shows his face on her monitor, a man she hoped never to see again. Now she has no choice and is compelled to confront him.More...
- Gasman1998-01-23A story of two children who react with naive simple emotion to a situation imposed upon them by their father's secret.More...
- George Washington2000-10-27Set in the landscape of a rural southern town, "George Washington" is a stunning portrait of how a group of young kids come to grips with a hard world of choices and consequences. During an innocent game in an abandoned amusement park, a member of the group dies. Narrated by one of the children, the film follows the kids as they struggle to balance their own ambitions and relationships against a tragic lie.More...
- The Parent Trap II1986-07-26Two best friends plot to get their single parents together to stop one of them from moving to New York.More...
- Maîtresse1976-02-11After breaking into a house he believes is empty, thief Olivier is caught by the owner, Ariane, who turns out to be a dominatrix. Improbably falling for her, Olivier returns periodically, and an impulsive romance blossoms despite Ariane's profession. Soon Olivier becomes more familiar with her work, even joining in on occasion. However, when he discovers that Ariane has a son, he attempts to "fix" her, hoping to give her a better life.More...
- Endless Night2019-12-05Anxo returns to his home village in the Galician countryside. There, he is greeted with concern by the victorious and the defeated, who see in him the danger of diving back into their silenced memories.More...
- Sapphire1959-11-02Two Scotland Yard detectives investigate the murder of a young woman of mixed race who had been passing for white. As they interview a spate of suspects -- including the girl's white boyfriend and his disapproving parents -- the detectives wade through a stubbornly entrenched sludge of racism and bigotry.More...
- Whale Valley2013-10-01The film shows a strong bond between two brothers that live in a remote fjord with their parents. We look into their world through the eyes of the younger brother and follow him on a journey that marks a turning point in the lives of the brothers.More...
- Vagabond1985-12-04Mona Bergeron is dead, her frozen body found in a ditch in the French countryside. From this, the film flashes back to the weeks leading up to her death. Through these flashbacks, Mona gradually declines as she travels from place to place, taking odd jobs and staying with whomever will offer her a place to sleep. Mona is fiercely independent, craving freedom over comfort, but it is this desire to be free that will eventually lead to her demise.More...
- To Live1994-05-18Married couple Fugui and Jiazhen endure tumultuous events in mid-20th century mainland China as their personal fortunes move from wealthy landownership to peasantry.More...
- A Brighter Summer Day1991-07-27A boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.More...
- Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles1976-01-21A lonely widowed housewife does her daily chores and takes care of her apartment where she lives with her teenage son, and turns the occasional trick to make ends meet. Slowly, her ritualized daily routines begin to fall apart.More...
- Baise-moi2000-06-28Nadine and Manu are two mad women, as tidy as can be, almost perfectionists. They have several things in common: extreme sex, drugs, beer and the trigger. They find the solution to their problems with guns and beware to those who dare to get in their way!More...
- Repulsion1965-06-01Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen, leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend, Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.More...
- The General1926-12-25During America’s Civil War, Union spies steal engineer Johnny Gray's beloved locomotive, 'The General'—with Johnnie's lady love aboard an attached boxcar—and he single-handedly must do all in his power to both get The General back and to rescue Annabelle.More...
- Thank You for Smoking2005-09-09Nick Naylor is a charismatic spin-doctor for Big Tobacco who'll fight to protect America's right to smoke -- even if it kills him -- while still remaining a role model for his 12-year old son. When he incurs the wrath of a senator bent on snuffing out cigarettes, Nick's powers of "filtering the truth" will be put to the test.More...
- Pi1998-07-10A mathematical genius discovers a link between numbers and reality, and thus believes he can predict the future.More...
- Bicycle Thieves1948-07-21Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his son, Antonio combs the city, becoming desperate for justice.More...
- The Strangers2008-05-29After a 4 a.m. knock at the door and haunting voices, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt’s remote getaway becomes a psychological night of terror as three masked strangers invade. Now they must go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive.More...
Similar Movies
Showing Up
2023-04-07In the days leading up to a possibly career-changing exhibition, a sculptor navigates her relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.Milagros
1997-01-01Milagros is a prostitute who becomes the maid of a family of four men. With them, she finds the family she never had. With her, each man finds the salvation he needs. Together, they begin to tear each other apart.Breath
2017-06-22A pair of teenagers in Western Australia looking to escape the monotony of life in a small town take up surfing lessons from a guy named Sando.Seven Songs from the ...
2000-02-18An anthology of stories about the indigenous Nenet peoples of the Northern Russian tundra, and how their way of life was disrupted by the advent of Soviet power.Canary Season
1993-11-26It's 1980. Malin is fatherless, angry, and in trouble. At 20, he's spent a year in jail for assaulting a lover of Lily, his mother. In her desk he finds a soldier's photograph and assumes he's found his father. He confronts the man, now a teacher, and gets nowhere. At home again, he mocks his mother. Finally, she tells him her grim story, from the year before his birth. We see a people's court, where Lily's parents seek justice for their grandchild to be. We follow Lily to a prison camp, to the city where she's told to inform on the only person who's been kind, to an asylum, and finally to her current poverty and loneliness. How will Malin respond to these revelations?A Luv Tale
1999-05-06Two women finally find the love and respect they deserve after both of their long-term, loveless relationships fail and they meet each other.Double Daddy
2015-06-06A teen's life turns upside down when her boyfriend impregnates both her and a new student at school.Paddleton
2019-02-01An unlikely friendship between two neighbors becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer.Day Out of Days
2015-06-14In Los Angeles, a 40-year-old actress works to make it in the cutthroat business of Hollywood while contending with ever-youthful competition.Queen of Hearts
2019-03-27Anne, a brilliant and dedicated advocacy lawyer specialising in society’s most vulnerable, children and young adults, lives what appears to be the picture-perfect life with her doctor-husband, Peter, and their twin daughters. When her estranged teenage stepson, Gustav, moves in with them, Anne’s escalating desire leads her down a dangerous rabbit hole which, once exposed, unleashes a sequence of events destined to destroy her world.Stolen Meeting
1989-06-05A mother released from a prison camp in Russia finds her son, but realises that reconciliation is impossible.Hungary 2011
2012-02-02Anthology film made as an act of protest against Hungarian government of Viktor Orban.A Beautiful Now
2015-06-12A beautiful dancer hangs on the razor's edge between reality and fantasy as she asks her friends to help her figure out the passions and relationships that have shaped who they are and who they will become.Before the Night
2018-05-23The life and times of Pippo Fava, a Sicilian journalist who fought the Mafia through his local newspaper in the '70s and early '80s, meeting an untimely end.Speed of Life
2020-01-10The film follows a woman who has a chance to reflect on her life when a wormhole opens upon David Bowie’s death.Kinki
2014-12-06A teacher is sexually involved with an underage student. She visits her father's home and discovers a boy who's been kept as a sex slave. The teacher continues harboring the boy out of fear and begins to feel sexually attracted to him.Taksu
2014-11-22Chihiro is depressed and obsessed with his own mortality. Him and his wife, Yuri (Yoko Mitsuya), decide to take a trip to Bali, Indonesia to see his pregnant sister, Kumi (Kiki Sugino). They hope the trip can bring about change.Fancy Dance
2024-06-21Following her sister's disappearance, Jax and her niece Roki must stick together. Desperate to keep what's left of their family intact, Jax and Roki defy the law and hit the road on a journey to the Grand Nation Powwow in Oklahoma City.Slow
2023-09-22Dancer Elena and sign language interpreter Dovydas meet and form a beautiful bond. As they dive into a new relationship, they must navigate how to build their own kind of intimacy.Ask Me What You Want
2024-11-29After his father's death, Eric Zimmerman travels to Spain to oversee his company's branches. In Madrid, he falls for Judith and engage in an intense, erotic relationship full of exploration. However, Eric fears his secret may end their affair.