Ratter review: A tense and, at times, traumatising thriller…
Ratter review
A Ratter is the name given to the shockingly large group of computer hackers who access people’s technological devices and take control. The takeover happens via the use of a Remote Administration Tool (or RAT hence the nickname) and the victim is completely unaware that it is happening. Ratters come in all shapes and sizes, some use the hack as their own private version of big brother, whilst others use it for even more sinister reasons, such as downloading personal files and images which they upload to the internet.
The film Ratter stays very close to the real life applications of ‘ratting’, the entire narrative is shown through the victim’s hacked devices making us, the viewer, also a voyeur and accomplice. It is actually a reworking of first-time feature director Branden Kramer‘s 2012 short film Webcam. In Ratter Kramer has taken his source material and developed it into a fully fleshed film. Whilst the story was great in Webcam, the leading female character was a little two-dimensional which, with it being less than ten minutes in length, is to be expected. Happily that issue has been rectified with our heroine Emma an instantly charming young woman.
Ashley Benson, star of Spring Breakers and television’s Pretty Little Liars is utterly convincing as Emma, the subject of our antagonists desires. Emma is instantly likeable and you can’t help feel sorry for her and her invasion of privacy. She isn’t the archetypal ‘bimbo’ young woman who thrives on social media, she isn’t one of your Kardashian wannabes, and as such her life is fairly mundane. Emma just wants to do well at school and have a good time with her friends. Keeping this is mind it becomes heartbreaking as we watch her life start to fall apart as the paranoia and effects of her stalking take their toll.
Ratter review
Ratter casts an eye-opening and compelling spotlight onto a new phenomena / crime that many of us are in the dark about. The pace starts slow and continues to burn at a relatively snail pace for the first half of the movie. It isn’t until around the time that Emma experiences her first ‘home visit’ that momentum starts to build. As the narrative progresses both the tone and the visuals get darker and, without giving any spoilers, the end is a real gut-kicker.
The topic is interesting and everything is very well executed, the only real fault is that the aforementioned slow burn feels longer than it is. The reasons for this are obviously pretty clear, it is there to highlight that for ratters anyone is a target. Emma does not lead a remarkable life, she isn’t some big name attention seeking reality celebrity, and yet we are forced to watch her everyday life unfold.
Ratter is released in the midst of a rising wave of films that deal with various aspects of the cyber world. We’ve recently had the Channel 4 one of drama Cyberbully which starred Maisie Williams as a teen finds herself talking with her hacker, and also horror film Unfriended about a group of teens picked off one by one whilst on Skype. Then there is Slumlord which focuses more heavily on the secret surveillance. Despite all of these, Ratter manages to be distinctly differently.
Ratter is a tense and at times traumatising thriller, reflecting the horror hidden in your homes. Trust me, this is a film that will have you taping up your webcams and packing away your computers.
Ratter review by Kat Hughes, October 2015.
Ratter plays at the 2015 BFI London Film Festival. It is awaiting a general release in both the UK and the US.
