Depictions of Scottish Childhoods in Lynne Ramsay's Short Films

What is it about?

This article discusses the representation of Scottish working-class society through the eyes of young girls. Lynne Ramsay's short films draw from the trope of the orphaned child popular in Scottish film culture, while at the same time subverting the traditionally masculine representation through her foregrounding of the perspectives of young girls. In this way, I argue her shot films subvert traditional masculine, patriarchal and miserablist portrayals of Scotland in favour of a potentially radical imagining of Scotland's future, without failing to depict the problematic structures of the society upon which this future would be built.

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Photo by Raphael Brasileiro on Unsplash

Photo by Raphael Brasileiro on Unsplash

Why is it important?

While portrayals of a working-class Scotland in film tend to be thought of as more realistic than other traditional representations of the country (e.g., Clydeside or Tartanry), they have also been critiqued for their masculine and 'miserablist' themes. This article shows how Scottish filmmakers have the power to transgress such issues in filmmaking without returning to representing a romantic, mythologised past, foregrounding the perspectives of young girls in unique and radical ways.