Ramsay has made a movie in which a universe of hopelessness and decay is penetrated by shafts of light that remake these bleak surroundings in strange and beautiful ways.
Bleak childhoods make for the best cinema, and Ratcatcher stands at the head of the class.
88
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Boston GlobeJay Carr
Fresh, original, and arresting.
88
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
One of the most remarkable English-language feature debuts of recent years.
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
The film manages to make the ordinary extraordinary. It takes visual risks, tells its story subjectively through images and moves confidently to a stunning, imaginative climax.
80
TimeRichard Corliss
TimeRichard Corliss
Writer-director Ramsay neither sentimentalizes nor garishes up the lost children in this observant and poetic drama.
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
A grim, poetic, heart-wrenchingly fine ode to the lost children of Glasgow's forgotten class.