In her breathtaking and assured debut feature Ratcatcher, Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin) confirmed herself as one of the most distinct and important voices to emerge from the United Kingdom in recent years. The Scottish-born director evinced a preoccupation with family and the fragilities of childhood and adolescence in a trilogy of shorts, Small Deaths (1995), Kill the Day (1996), and Gasman (1997); Ratcatcher continued and refined Ramsay’s exploration.
Set during Scotland’s national garbage strike of the mid-1970s, the film explores the experiences of a poor adolescent boy as he struggles to reconcile his dreams and his guilt with the abjection that surrounds him. Utilizing beautiful, elusive imagery, candid performances, and unexpected humor, Ramsay deftly contrasts urban decay with a rich interior landscape of hope and perseverance, resulting in a work at once raw and deeply poetic.
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