Scotland At The Movies

09 July 2009, 14:13

Set in 1970s Glasgow, Ratcatcher follows a young boy as he grows up, and the tough times he has to go through, which ultimately mould him as an adult. Due to be transmitted on Monday, July 13, at 10.35pm.

What’s it all about?

Ratcatcher is a thought-provoking movie based in Glasgow in the 1970s, following a young boy, James, as he grows up in an overcrowded Glasgow tenement flat, with his often-drunk father, his mother, and two siblings.

Close to the start of the film, a friend of James’ drowns during a boisterous play fight.

Plagued with a guilty, shameful secret, his mood is reflected in the choice of setting in the film, with most frames set at the canal where the accident happened, and amidst a dreary backdrop of rubbish which has accumulated due to a binmen’s strike.

James is desperate to move away from this area, to a council house he’s spotted outside the city centre on the edge of a wheat-field, and this feeling of yearning is continued throughout the film.

The movie also examines his friendships with Margaret-Anne, the object of affection for many of the local boys, and his friend Kenny, who is obsessed with rodents.

Cast:

William Eadie: James Gillespie
Tommy Flanagan: Da
Mandy Matthews: Ma
Thomas McTaggart: Ryan
Leanne Mullen: Margaret Anne
Michelle Stewart: Ellen
Lynne Ramsay Jr.: Anne Marie

Trivia:

This is the debut feature from Scottish director Lynne Ramsay.

When’s it on?

Ratcatcher is on STV on Monday, July 13, at 10.35pm (time subject to change).

Last updated: 09 July 2009, 15:08