Set in Glasgow, Scotland during a long-running garbage strike in the early 1970s, Lynne Ramsay's gritty, beautifully-lensed debut opens with a haunting, prescient image of a young lad idly spinning himself in a lacy, shroud-like window curtain. Within minutes, that boy will be dead, playfully pushed underwater in a swill-filled canal while horsing around with playmate James (William Eadie), the 12-year-old central character of this dark, understated, episodic coming-of-age tale. Running away from the scene of the accident in a panic, James keeps mum about his presence, but is nevertheless gnawed by feelings of guilt and anger that spill over into his less than wonderful life of semi-poverty with an alcoholic father, pair of sisters with whom he squabbles, and abused but doggedly resilient mother. Intertwined with glimpses of James's family life (not all bleak: James jitterbugs with his mom at one point, and takes trips to a new housing development the family hopes to move into) are the smart, insightful, day-to-day life sketches of poor, bored younger kids and pre-adolescents, the former struggling to create sustainable play fantasies in the midst of squalor, while the latter look for outlets to explore their budding sexuality. Although neither driven by a traditional plot nor populated with larger-than-life characters, Ratcatcher's impressionistic study of a time, a place, and a loosely-knit community of children over the course of one summer, offers its own small, quiet viewing rewards. Wisely featuring subtitles (the Scottish accents are very thick), the DVD transfer on this 1999 film looks and sounds great (and kudos should also go to Rachel Portman's spare but strong musical score), and the extras--which include an interview with Ramsay, and her three award-winning short films--nicely round out the package. Recommended. (R. Pitman)
[Blu-ray Review—Oct. 27, 2021—Criterion, 93 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its Blu-ray debut, Ratcatcher (1999) is presented with a fine 4K digital restoration and extras including new and archival interviews with director Lynne Ramsay, a 2020 audio interview with cinematographer Alwin Küchler, three award-winning short films by Ramsay—“Small Deaths" (1995), ”Kill the Day” (1996), and “Gasman” (1997)—a stills gallery, and a booklet with essays by film critic Girish Shambu and filmmaker Barry Jenkins. Bottom line: Ramsay’s affecting Scottish kitchen sink drama shines on Blu-ray.]