FFFA: Ratcatcher (1999)

Ratcatcher

4K Restoration

“★★★★★ Set a gold standard of artistry for new social realist cinema – or cinema of any sort – in the UK.” – The Guardian

“A gorgeous blend of beauty and squalor, packed with imagery that will play over and over in your head for weeks.” – The New York Times

Lynne Ramsay’s mesmerising debut feature premiered at Cannes Film Festival when she was only 29 years old.

It’s 1975 in Glasgow and the city is beset by a garbage collectors’ strike, with black rubbish bags piling up everywhere and a plague of rats taking advantage of the situation. Twelve-year-old James Gillespie spends his days roaming around the council estate where he lives with his family.

One day, while playing near the canal, James pushes another boy into the water for a laugh. The boy doesn’t resurface, and in a panic, James runs away. Haunted by his guilty secret, James disappears into a trancelike reality as he tries to carry on with life. He strikes up a friendship with naïve Kenny, attempts an awkward love affair with 14-year-old Margaret Anne, and drifts further away from his tough Ma and alcoholic Da.

This is a bleak but lyrical and enthralling meditation on grief, guilt and adolescence told authentically through a child’s eyes.

Festivals & Awards
Cannes Film Festival 1999 – Nominee, Un Certain Regard Award
British Independent Film Awards 1999 – Winner, Douglas Hickox Award for Best British Debut Director
BAFTA Awards 2000 – Winner, Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer

Rating

Unclassified 18+

Duration

94 min

Country

United Kingdom, France

Language

English

Cast

Tommy Flanagan, Mandy Matthews, William Eadie

Director

Lynne Ramsay