Rats!

I am no film critic, but Wes Anderson movies are something I always indulge in (in fact, my favorite movie of all time is "The Fantastic Mr. Fox"). When I saw that a few short Wes Anderson movies were available to view on Netflix, I watched only one: "The Rat Catcher."

"The Rat Catcher" 2023

"The Rat Catcher" is based on the story by Roald Dahl, where a rat-like rodent killer, called the Rat Man, (played by Ralph Fiennes) is called into town to stop their rat infestation. After their attempts to end this invasion, the men that called the rat catcher into town, the editor and Claude (played by Richard Ayoade and Rupert Friend respectively), view the rats and the rat catcher in the same view, as they are equally as strange.

The point-of-view of "The Rat Catcher" is a mix of the 3rd person omniscient and 1st person subjective POVs. The editor, to the lack of knowledge of Claude and the Rat Man, is narrating the entire event. Although this is occurring, Claude, the Rat Man, and the editor freely communicate with each other in the 1st person subjective, as they are in the moment.

The entire character of the editor adds in the 3rd person omniscient POV. Although he is the only narrator of "The Rat Catcher," he can also talk to the other characters within the story, which also gives way to a 1st person subjective POV. Much of the editor's dialogue consists of a description of what the Rat Man does, but, since the short film gives a visual, it can be inferred what he is doing, without the editor's narration. But because "The Rat Catcher" is based upon a book, the editor serves as a verbal utterance of Roald Dahl's writing.

Overall, "The Rat Catcher" has utilized POV in a way that it makes the entire story very whimsical. The thorough descriptions of the editor (3rd person omniscient POV) clash with the crude conversations that take place in the moment (1st person subjective), which makes up a frivolous interpretation of a rat infestation completely replicates the intent of Roald Dahl's short stories

Until next time,

The Rat Man.

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Currently watching: "Derry Girls"

My rating: ★★★★★