A confronting dose of social realism as, on a 1970s Glasgow public housing estate, a weeks-long strike by the refuse collectors adds to the sense of impoverished marginalisation. Navigating it all is 12 year-old James (William Eadie).
Writer/director Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin, You Were Never Really Here), in her feature film debut, finds tension in the everyday as James and other kids on the estate group and separate, fight and find each other. The drowning of Ryan early in the film in the fetid canal hovers and determines a taut narrative that sees adults and kids alike struggle with a world around them that provides little in terms of hope or escape.
Unquestionably referencing the early films of Ken Loach, Ramsay’s film is stark, grim yet strangely poetic that makes Ratcatcher hard to watch but wholly captivating.
Rating: 77%
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