Ratcatcher

Year: 1999

Grade: B-

Country: Scotland

Director: Ramsay

Review

felt like a cross between gummo and george washington. wasn’t as good as gummo, but was better than george washington. all three films deal with children dealing with adolescence among impoverished and depraved backgrounds. in gummo it was a southern community after a hurricane, in george washington it was an industrial virginia town, and in ratcatcher it was scotland during the 1970s garbage strike. in each case the movie ended up being so much about atmosphere and relationships that the acting was very important…and the acting was quite good in all of them, but george washington and ratcatcher left something to be desired. certainly there were poignant moments, the cinematography was good, there were a few comic moments, a nick drake song, but there was just something missing. maybe the second time i watch it i’ll like it more. i do admit that the protagonist did win me over eventually, but there was still something lacking. i’ll get back to you on that when i figure it out.