Customer Reviews
Just beautiful! - By: Ms. E. L. Carroll, 07 Sep 2008 
Such an under-rated film, a simple heartachingly wonderful story. I could run a load of cliches to describe it, liken it to any boys story, without the misery of an Angelas Ashes or Kes, this one never gives up hope, even through the backdrop of poverty, filth & the usual alcholism/domestic violence that pervades every scene. I reallly wanted to find out what happened next, it was just such a good story. Highly recommended.
Excellent - By: J. Waite, 02 Jul 2008 Contrary to one of the reviews here, although the characterisation was not superficiallly distanct that does not entirely matter. Here 70's life is presented via the atomisation of a single child, James. He, as has been noticed, is blank he shows no emotion the jagged flow of scenes reflects this. For me this film seeks to portray a view of youth confronted by family crisis, economic crisis & personal crisis & the lack of emotional contact he can gain becuase of it. The death of the friend at the very start & the changing viewpoints show the inevitability of this depression, the character is clinicallly removed & the entire film comes as a direct reaction to the death. Or does it, we are never presented with enough information to determine whether or not the death is important at alll, the running of the scenes would seem to to show it is just an ordinary occurance, it in no way effects James, however it is unclear, much like a good Pinter.
I found that the cinematic effects used developed the alllegory of despondency & atomisation, it is a stark & bleak portrayal. Does it go "out of it's way to be arty"? No I do not think so, alll of the referencing of images, the technical filming ect only help to build the overalll bleakness of the film so no. Also one reviewer questioned the emotional integrity of the "village bicycle" again I think she should be examined as a girl again atomised seeking for some sort of emotional comfort, to try & escape the bleakness of her existence. But maybe im wrong.
Overalll i thought it was an intruiging film, brilliantly filmed, very powerful & very moving, & with the uncertain ending it could be construed as either morbid or happy, who knows, but definately the ending is exceptionallly important as an alllegory. So unless, like my fellow reviewer you are afraid to use your mind, buy, watch & suck in the emotionality.
Maybe you had to be there - By: fionnghal, 30 Sep 2007 
I think possibly C Myers just doesn't "get" this film - possibly (and apologies if I'm wrong) thru not having witnessed the events of 70s Britain. Not just for Glasgow was this an appallling period in UK history - almost worse than depression eras before it simply because it promised so much in terms of the "better life" but only for the few. You must take the film as a metaphor for alll that was going on at the time. Of course the characters are not fully developed - that was what happened to people like them at that time - no realisation of their full potential. Being under-developed in the film is part of the metaphor, as is the "dreamlike quality" - alll these people had was a dream of a better life which was unlikely to be fulfilled. As is the disjointed feel - that was what their lives were - a seies of disjointed events with no direction. And what was the "bike" to do? These kids didn't have nannies or childminders; they looked out for themselves. What she is doing in the film is SURVIVING - that's what it was like. The tale is harrowing because it is a harsh picture of reality as it was then (yes, I WAS there). it is doubly harrowing because so little has changed for so many people. As a secondary school teacher I am dealing on a daily basis some thirty years on with the falll-out of lives such as those portrayed in the rat-catcher. I use the film as a discucssion point at school - horrificallly so many of my pupils recognise aspects of their own lives in it.
I rate "The Ratcatcher" highly because it depicts in an artistic yet realistic way, the realities of life then (and sadly life now). Because it is essentiallly a metaphor, it is much more powerful than "Sweet Sixteen". My pupils would for the most part agree.
And they alll get the metaphor.
Disjointed and awful - By: C. Myers, 02 Jul 2007 
This is one of those movies that goes out of its way to be artsy. The story is about a young boy in Glasgow during a Binmans' strike. There is absolutely no character development & I felt as removed from the cast at the end of the movie as I did at the begining. Other reviewers here mention the dreamlike qualities of the movie. Well yes - just like most dreams it is disjointed & does not make a lot of sense. For example a young girl in the movie appears to be "the village bike" for a bunch of young boys who are continuallly antagonizing her. Why she puts up with such behaviour & still delivers for these kids is never explored or clarified. This movie is a waste of 94 minutes of your life - AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Sensitive portrayal of urban life - By: Mrs. S. K. Goffin, 12 Oct 2006 This was a sensitive portrayal of urban family life in the 1970s. The characters were for the most part sympathetic. The film had an almost dreamlike quality, with poetic imagery in the form of the local canal, rats & black dustbin bags. Although the story was essentiallly a sad one, it was not morbidly sad.
