There is another side to London that remains unknown to the tourists, that emerges only at night, that comes alive in aging terraced houses and sprawling estates. It is a world of pills of dubious origin swallowed hurriedly and hopefully, of music with a thumping beat that you'll still hear when you wake up the morning after, of Rizla papers bought from an all-night garage, of bottles of mineral water shared as love tokens, of greasy kebabs eaten when the taste-buds have long since numbed, of sunrises viewed through stinging eyes. It is close to heaven, but it is very close to hell. For Rat, a fifteen year-old drug dealer, it is the only world he knows. Over one night Rat's world turns upside down as he finds himself on the run from older, far more serious criminals. We follow Rat as he looks for shelter with those he thinks he can trust. As each door closes on him, the likelihood of ever seeing the light of day again grows smaller.
Acting
Billy Smith's Rat—feral, tender, devastatingly real.
Cinematography
East London at 4am never looked so beautiful or hopeless.
Direction
Spurrier's one-night structure traps you with Rat, no escape.
Director
Paul Spurrier
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot in actual London squats and after-hours spots—some locations were demolished weeks after filming.
Captures the specific 90s UK rave-to-ruin pipeline that Trainspotting glamorized; this refuses the romance.
US
GB
