Ratcatcher

On a Glasgow day in 1973, Ryan Quinn is forced to go to visit his imprisoned father but runs off to play with James. The two boys meet at the canal, where rough horseplay ends in Ryan's drowning. James carries guilt for not raising the alarm, and Ryan's family is re-housed after the tragedy; on leaving day, Ryan's mother gives James the brown sandals she had bought for her son.

James grapples with his guilt and the sense that his inaction left his friend at risk. He confronts the bleak, unchanging environment of his neighbourhood and wonders whether anything will ever shift. The event lingers with him as he tries to find a way forward.

Seeking escape, James rides a bus to the end of its route on the Glaswegian outskirts. He explores a half-built housing estate and stands before a kitchen window, marveling at a wheat field that seems to reach the horizon. He climbs through the window and steps into the freedom of that imagined world.

James befriends Margaret Anne and helps her after her glasses are thrown into the canal by the local gang. They find comfort in each other's company, sharing a sense of relief from the abuse surrounding them. Their growing friendship becomes a small refuge amid the harsh surroundings.

Kenny receives a pet mouse, which the gang torment by tossing it in the air. When Kenny ties the mouse's tail to a balloon, the animal rises and eventually joins a moon-bound colony of mice. The scene blends dark mischief with a surreal flight of imagination.

Kenny later falls into the canal and is rescued by James' father, who briefly becomes a local hero and is awarded a medal for bravery. The triumph is tinged by the father's ongoing heavy drinking and the fragile stability of the family.

One night the father comes home drunk and strikes James' mother, witnessed by the family. The incident strains the household, but the parents eventually reconcile and share a quiet moment of dance together.

James visits her home and the two lie in bed, seeking comfort and closeness in a bleak world. Their bond shows a tender counterpoint to the street violence and neglect surrounding them.

An army arrives to clear the rubbish from the neighbourhood, a symbolic but incomplete attempt to tidy the area. James realises that such changes won't alter the fundamental conditions of his life. He remains haunted by the underlying sense of stagnation.

After failing to recover Margaret Anne's glasses from the canal, James witnesses the gang's abuse of her again. He feels guilty and powerless as he watches the violence return. The cycle of intimidation continues to shape his choices.

Kenny taunts James about causing Ryan's death, pushing him to a breaking point. Overwhelmed, James dives into the canal, seeking escape or oblivion. The act marks a grim turning point in his outlook.

A brief scene shows the family moving to a new neighbourhood, carrying furniture across the wheat field James had discovered earlier. James walks behind the movers and stops, then smiles at the camera as the field frames their new start.

The closing credits show James drowning in slow motion in the murky canal water, underscoring the permanence of his escalation. The final image leaves his fate ambiguous, reflecting the film's unresolved cycle of trauma.