Ratcatcher

Set in a working-class Glasgow neighborhood during the 1973 garbage strike, Ratcatcher finds beauty and magic amidst the detritus. Lynne Ramsay’s depiction of the place and its inhabitants—portrayed by neighborhood kids along with professional actors—is focused on the point of view of one boy, distressed by his part in the accidental death of another. Immersed in the meticulously constructed yet absolutely authentic world, the viewer becomes acutely sensitive to its details. As Lizzie Francke noted, Ramsay’s “willful, measured naïvete—balanced with a rigorous pursuit of vision—is precisely what allows the wonders and horrors of childhood to filter through her art, undiluted.”