there is a great reference in this film to malick's badlands. as the young boy ties snowball's tail to the red balloon and lets it fly to the moon, the actual score from badlands (executed on xylophone, perhaps?) is borrowed, as is the imagery of the red balloon.
i thought that was clever, but overall the film didn't quite ring true with me. i prefer kes.
cheers.
I thought the same thing, along with the image of the field when James go to the house being constructed. Reminiscent of Days of Heaven.
shareEven before that, and the cornfield, when James is on the bus heading out into the country a little Badlands-esque tune plays and I thought, "wow, it would be good if they used the Gassenhauer from Badlands here". Lo and behold... that glorious mouse scene.
Of course, in the country and cornfield scene Ramsay recalls Badlands and Days of Heaven clearly and (although Ratcatcher came out almost at exactly the same time) some of the medium shots and elliptical editing in that scene actually compare with the more impressionistic style Malick started to develop in The Thin Red Line. Even as that scene begins, the brief dolly/steadicam-in before titling towards the sky (when James runs into the field from the window) is a camera movement which has now become trademark Malick.
Exquisite filmmakers both.
Funny that you guys saw the inverse of what I saw. Not that I'm doubting your insights, but I saw instead how much this film inspired The Tree of Life. Most specifically, both films are concerned with childhood and guilt, and feature 'dream sequences' showing the families under happier circumstances.
Ratcatcher: 10
The Tree of Life: 8