Ratcatcher was the debut feature film from Director Lynne Ramsay, who this year released the sublime 'We Need To Talk About Kevin'. 'Kevin' was indeed so good that I immediately sought out Ramsay's other films, her visual style won me over so much. Ratcatcher doesn't feel like the first film from anyone, it is a fully rounded mature piece of work with inventive imagery and warmth amidst an incredibly grim story (the film begins with the death of a child.)
The film follows James, played by William Eadie in his first feature film, a young lad trying to cope with the grief of having killed another child by accident. His home life is troubled by his alcoholic father and an apartment which is barely big enough to fit the whole family in, let alone anything else. Set during the Winter of Discontent, the streets are lined with garbage, and there are rats everywhere, in short, Life is pretty grim for James. However he finds friendship with a girl he meets on the riverside, and an odd boy who lives in the same building as him who has a strong love of animals.
This is not a film where a lot happens, it will not appeal to people who like a strong structured narative, it tends more toward observing and seeing what happens than actively guiding the story along, but this is where the strength of the film lies, through simply observing the young James, we get a film that feels honest and true, coupled with some very strong performances from some very young actors and some fantastic shots and you've got a gem which will hopefully find a wider audience as 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' gains traction through awards season, which if it doesn't, something has gone horribly wrong. I really enjoyed this film.
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