Gasman (1997) User Reviews

Merry Christmas, social realist style.

[twistedhooch · 6/10 · 25 October 2006]

It's grim up north the old saying goes; Gasman by Lynne Ramsey won't change that stereotype but it does illustrate the talent of this director. This short film shares similarities with the both work of Mike Leigh and social realist 'kitchen sink' films of the sixties, in showing a slice of life story from the lower classes. Read; bleak setting and diegetic sound.

Set in an undisclosed Scottish city at Christmas, the story concerns a day in the life of lower class father (James Ramsey), daughter Lynne (Lynne Ramsey Jr) and son Steven (Martin Anderson) as they walk the tracks. En route, they mysteriously pick up more children from a woman (Jackie Quinn), Lisa (Lisa Taylor) and Robert (Robert McEwan).

Gasman is a powerful piece, due in no small part to the performance by Lynne Ramsey Jr. It is a powerful portrait of a working class young girl and the confusion she faces. When pretending to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, you really believe that 'There's no place like home.' The supporting cast are also suitably bedraggled for their characters to be believable. There are some fine visual flourishes in this short piece; the close shots of people getting ready for their day out give the film a very intimate feel, as if you are really looking into their family life. There is appropriate use of light and dark contrast, in particular as they are in wide shot walking up the tracks. Also, the working club Christmas party is visual delight, with child POV shots, slow motion and chopped up editing.

At times the Scottish dialect is quite hard to follow with the sound quality being quite raw. My main issue with the film would be that Gasman doesn't have anything original to say. Gasman is suitably bleak according to genre convention but its essential message being that it's challenging growing up in a lower class environment has been a mainstay of social realist cinema since before Kes. Still grim it would seem.

complicated

[user-704-392173 · 7/10 · 8 July 2013]

One of the most difficult problems to solve is the people relationships.

The father has two families, which means the four little children have blood relations. However, maybe of course, they do not know that.

In the Christmas party the main character girl is coming to feel uncomfortable about the other girl who is her half sister indeed. In the last scene, when they are coming back home, the order of the people especially the girls mentions the very touchy feelings of them. The girl is so confused but does not know the truth. This is a very interesting film and is questioning us about what to do with such a problem.

The Fact Which Is Not Acceptable

[AdamHawkes · 8/10 · 12 July 2013]

A little girl, Lynne, puts on her yellow dress with her mother's help, while her brother is playing with a toy car and sugar. They are taken by their father to a Christmas party. On the way to the party, the three people meet a woman with two children. One of the two is a little girl who is as old as Lynne. Lynne talks to the girl and they become friends, so they just are friends. However, things are not so simple. They arrive at the party and a lot of children including Lynne enjoy themselves. While Lynne is dancing with Santa, the girl feels lonely and sits on the knees of Lynne's father. Looking at the scene, Lynne realizes that the girl is not just her friend. Lynne feels jealous of and anger with her. Since this moment, her mind is very complicated.

First, this film is very difficult to understand. Therefore it was not until I watched this film three times that I figure out what is represented. However, the director made it so on purpose, I think. Metaphors used in this film are all elaborate. Therefore it is hard, though, it made a sophisticated impression on me.

This film is a kind of masterpiece. I mean the great actors, actresses and director excel. Without them, this film couldn't be like this.

I like it, but I'm like that

[dshed · 3 December 2000]

Gasman is a proper short film - little plot, none of it told explicitly, but a larger story going on around the camera. Like most of Lynne Ramsey's stuff (Ratcatcher being the best and most enjoyable example, because it isn't a short)it feels like and probably is 1970s/80s East-end Glasgow, the struggling classes and a fairly grim outlook, but you see the little sparks of interest in real lives, and being a small story told very much from a child's point of view, it's much more hopeful, interesting and happy than it could have been. The characters, so few, and so little seen in the short still have immense believability and completeness. Most people will find this dull, but if you're the kind of person who knows how to get hold of a copy, you're probably the type of person who'd enjoy it. Arty, but not impenetrable, simple but thought-provoking.

The subject is unambiguous

[vxyytcsg · 6/10 · 9 January 2024]

I didn't quite grasp the theme of this movie, but the portrayal of the child's life, especially depicting the girl going through adolescence, was evident. I had several points of confusion while watching this film. Firstly, I found it odd that, unlike in many countries where Christmas is often spent with family, in this movie, the protagonist doesn't spend it with her family but with the child of another family. I couldn't understand what the creator was trying to convey about this. Secondly, I wondered why there were only men at the party venue. Although I couldn't quite comprehend what this short film was attempting to convey, in my interpretation, it seemed to highlight a reversal of gender roles in the household, leading me to think that the difference in roles between men and women was the main theme. Honestly, the theme was a bit challenging for me to grasp.

'Gasman'

[bgilch · 10/10 · 9 February 2005]

I've never been a fan of short films for their 'art-school' and 'experimental' qualities. Simply being a product of those two is not enough. They are almost always too personal, too opaque, and too much obviously serving as 'stepping-stones'.

I was therefore happy to see Lynne Ramsay's short films as the chrysalis for her superb feature films. I was also impressed to learn that she won the Cannes short-film prize, *twice*. And now I can see what others saw in her, for _Gasman_ is the best short film I have ever seen.

Available on the Criterion DVD with _Small Deaths_ and the less good _Kill the Day_, _Gasman_ is a fully-fledged, visionary film that translates directly into the skill and grace of _Ratcatcher_.

_Gasman_ moves directly from the first piece of _Short Deaths_, with the distant father and Lynne Ramsay Jr. again taking centre screen. But _Gasman_ comes to a kind a fruition--a full story with many of the same themes and techniques of _Ratcatcher_: closely observed yet elliptical human behaviour, housing projects, slum-beauty, children's natures, a jumbled impressionistic world caught in partial body closeups and shots from behind people.

The film 'tells' nothing, but the story is dead clear and builds slowly to an emotional pitch that is almost unbearable.

This is a film of jaw-dropping beauty. Sounds trite, but that's how I feel. When the Da and two kids walk on the tracks, the camera is set to a partially closed iris which intensifies the available light and colour in an otherworldly sheen--one that is gone when they return on the same tracks at night, in disappointment. Beauty in service of story is the key.

This *is* the best short film I have ever seen.

A Life Changing Point

[ayane-57200 · 7/10 · 9 January 2024]

"Gasman" is a short film which is about a girl's life changing point. One day, the girl goes out with her father and her brother, and she meets a little girl who looks very similar to her. I like this film's introduction. In the house, the girl polishes her shoes and puts her cute dress on. Her mother cares about the girl, and the boy plays with his toy car. We can't understand why she polishes her shoes and wears a dress, so we can guess the destination. And it makes us very excited. The last scene is also one that I like. We can consider her feeling and her thoughts from now on as we like. This film is not bright, but I think this film has something attractive. When you finish watching this film, you may bask in the afterglow of this film. I don't like thisk ind of dark film usually, but this movie is interesting. So, if you like dark films, you should watch it, and even if you don't like dark films, you should try to watch it.

A remarkable and poetic short film!

[karenflash · 10/10 · 22 April 2008]

This short film from Lynne Ramsay is extremely impressive on a technical level as well as emotionally stirring. The director has an uncanny ability to capture those seemingly small and insignificant moments in a child's life which have a lasting and profound effect; those moments when everything changes, innocence is lost and nothing will ever be the same again. The children in her films learn the facts of life the hard way and quite often have to make sense of them on their own without the aide of an understanding parent. I was more moved by "Gasman" than I was with "Ratcatcher" (her first feature length which is a must see for true film connoisseurs) for this reason. The director keeps information from the audience, so that when we discover what the little girl discovers it's just as new and poignant for the viewer without being predictable. Lynne Ramsay is a true "auteur" who possesses the uncanny ability to capture beautiful and haunting moments of life.

Beautiful movie

[kumayama · 6/10 · 14 February 2014]

This is a beautiful movie. Some impressive angles are used throughout the film; the shots not taking people's face, focusing on the girl's skirt, taking only silhouette. At the party scene, the camera's eyes move as if it is a member of children playing there. I like the scene that the family prepares for going to the Christmas party; The mother cares for everyone, the father sips a cup of coffee, the boy playing a minicab scattering the salt in the kitchen, the girl wearing her clothes for a special day. Actually, I'm not sure that I could understand the story and the deep meaning of this film well, especially the last scene, a girl standing and staring at another girl and her family with a rock in her hand. I also could not get why this film is titled "Gasman," because I feel it is a story of "girls." It's a story telling to us girls' mind is complicated. They can easily pretend to be friends, they love their fathers, and they are jealous.

unique camera work

[mindopener623 · 9/10 · 15 February 2014]

Gasman is a 1998 film by Lynne Ramsa. This film won Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Fest, the BAFTA Awards, and the Atlantic Film Fest. The direction and the camera work of this film are very strange. There is a little girl and a little boy. There is Christmas music. The girl gets dressed. The boy gets sugar on his toy car and plays with it. There is a mother, hurrying them up. In this scene, you can see the face of the characters hardly. Then, they go out and walk along the railway. The family arrives at a Christmas party. The visual and sound are somehow filled with uneasiness. This may be because of the strange direction and the unstable camera work. So, you will be drawn into the screen although it is very short film.

Serious Problem

[strawberry-jam-shake · 6/10 · 22 July 2013]

In a Christmas season, father in a family, go out railway with his two children. At there, a woman waits with two children, about the same age as his daughter. The children go a holiday's party with them.

The children of two girls in this story are look like exactly the same without of the character. It is very complex facts for children. I guess the father maybe hides the fact for his wife and the woman might ask a favor hardly to him, playing with the children just one day. The girl wearing on a dress feels jealousy to the girl who treating kind by his father. I know she is also wants to give much love by his father. It is really sad, and I almost crying.

If I were the husband, I won't meet the children together. It will stress for me. Of course, this is his responsibility, but he smokes cigarette often at the film. It might be connected in the title Gasman. He must be felt a big stress.

Parents just hope the children's happiness. The story is real about the adult problem. I don't want children also learn and worry about it. However, I also feel sympathy toward the father's acts. I recommend people to watch the movie, before they are marry. It's valuable time to watch.

the child-director

[onerpaz · 10/10 · 15 October 2005]

I was amazed by Ramsay's thorough understanding of children and their feelings. This film, a touching portrayal of a father-daughter relationship, is by far the best I have seen. Poetical depiction of the seemingly endless railways are reminiscent of the long and hard life. One has to accept the people you love as they are and realize that they may be loved by others. One needs to be able to share the beloved. Final scene is the best. The girl forgives her rival. It is interesting how the girl starts to hate her rival. I wonder how important was the fact that they look alike. I think I want to start shooting movies as well.

Doesn't really go anywhere

[beckyness-12086 · 7/10 · 2 November 2021]

This slice-of-life film didn't really lead anywhere, but there were some interesting parallels between the beginning and the end. I feel like it lacked and interesting ending, but nonetheless was an interesting insight into one man's double family life.

Gasman Review

[Mr_Waffles · 5/10 · 1 March 2019]

Review may contain spoilers. Gasman is a short film about a man who takes his children to a Christmas party where his daughter learns something earthshattering for her young life. The man meets up with a woman on his way to the Christmas party and has her children join his for the party. Why did he do this is a question that persists throughout Gasman, although it is fairly easy to guess. His daughter and the woman's daughter seem to get along, despite his daughter looking down on the other's appearance. At the party the woman's daughter is distressed as she ends up being left out of the goings on, and this leads to the man's daughter coming to the realization of the truth. Overall, Gasman is ok, but is fairly predictable. What makes this short film slightly irritating is that the accents are quite thick, so it is mostly unclear what is being said most of the time. Gasman can be found on YouTube and Vimeo and has a runtime of about 15 minutes.

This is fairly serious

[goto-kazoku-4 · 9 July 2013]

A girl and her brother get dressed up and go out with their father. On the way, they meet a woman, a girl and a boy. They look like the same age with the brother. Two girls, two boys and their father go to a Christmas party. The girl looks happy, however, she sees the girl who she met a while ago is on the lap of her own father. She is angry. Probably, they are half brothers. However, the children are good friends.

This is a fairly serious story for me. I don't understand why their mother and father take them to the party together. I think that it is not good that a half-brother and half-sister met each other when they are children. The scene of the railroad track where father and his divorced wife talk is deeply impressive. I feel sorrowful because the season of winter is added to the scene. However, the girls are very cute. The blonde hair and the dress are charming. The party looks lively and happy, therefore I want to join such a party. I like the party scene.

My thoughts;

[bnv121591 · 6/10 · 20 December 2009]

I too was surprised by Ramsay's "thorough understanding" of a child's mind and feelings. Gasman was a good description of a Little girls relationship with her father. Her rivalry with another little girl, who looks quite similar, and is of the same relative age; the two in a sort of competition for the fathers lap. Not being able to 'share' her father she begins to pull her rivals hair. In this film the railroad is a symbol of the fathers long toiling life, his being torn between his two families/lives. I am sort of wondering, what the two sons, they kind of just walk and are in the sides of the shots, not really characters but props, but I cannot quite figure out what they are doing/ what purpose they are sharing.

Gasman

[shojijason · 8/10 · 5 September 2017]

This film is about a story couple kids that have a same father. The film didn't show much about the relationship of their parents and why they divorced, though the children made a great impact to the film. The girls fight was so realistic, I even felt tremor and also was able to think of the feeling of children who have divorced parents. The point I liked about this film is many things are showed very negative and dark. For example, the girl's jealousy, the boy's feeling, the parents secret, and the dark background. Christmas should be a happy time but in this film, it's a complicated event for them. Many short films have a happy ending, but this one is not really a happy ending or a sad one. I like this weird type of film.

Profound meaning story

[Bell_09 · 7/10 · 31 July 2013]

Gasman is the story on the day of the Christmas party. A little girl dressed up and goes to the party with her brother and father. On the way to the party, they meet a boy, a girl and a woman. A woman left her children with a man, and the story develops on the party. None of explanation, but perhaps these four children does not complete related by blood. There is something that is not understood, but it is effective to make interest for a spectator. I watched the film with a doubt, so I did not get sick. This film expresses the children's feeling well. The length of showing the child face is grate. It is consummate that how to get intervals. It is difficult to understand for me a bit. To tell the truth, I do not like such a complicated story, but it is interested. This is a very thoughtful film.

Gasman

[marianasilva91 · 8/10 · 21 December 2009]

Gasman is a short film that stirs up a great amount of detail and emotion in a short period of time. Seen very much from a young child's point of view, it shows nothing in the beginning but then starts to develop itself with a great potential. For example, in the beginning, the kids are getting ready to go out with their father but the mother stays at home and watches out the window as they leave. Then, you just see them walking through the tracks until finally they get to a stop. Then you start to realize that the father has another family and his kids seem very much confused by what is going on. There are a lot of mixed feelings throughout the film and it is very much clear, although not many words are said. The way the camera moves around from character to character is what tells the story and gives it so much power. The mixed feelings between the characters are clear through the way that the camera moves around between the characters. It is an extraordinary piece that is told by its form, rather than text.

complicated story

[peg0120 · 7/10 · 1 August 2013]

This story is complexly. Lynne who is main character in this story meets one girl. However, she sees the girl who sitting on a knee of Lynne's father. She wonders the girl becoming friend with Lynne's father. Finally, she comprehends their relation.

I'm impressed by the scene that is the girl sitting on a knee of Lynne's father. This scene is the most important point in this story. Various feelings of characters are jumbled together. I think Lynne is jealous because the girl appears suddenly and keeps a thing to herself. Lynne probably can't understand. So she uses violence on the girl. Furthermore, their father doesn't want to scold Lynne because he probably wants to love both of them.

In conclusion, he wants them to be friend with each other. At the same time, he knows it is difficult practically. On the other hand, Lynne parts from the girl before she is convinced. So Lynne and her father are gloomy.

Complicated story

[coldplayer-57213 · 8/10 · 10 August 2017]

This is a short movie. One day, a girl who wears dress and brother go to a Christmas party with father. When they walk on a railroad track toward the Christmas party, they meet another family which is composed of a women, her son and daughter. they go to the party together except the women. The girl feels that the daughter knows father very well. In fact, there is a hidden truth. At first, I don't understand what is happened. However, when I watch the last scene, I can understand everything. So, If you want to know the hidden truth, I want you to watch this movie.

Fragility and Bond

[kr-kr-dr3 · 7/10 · 22 July 2013]

This is a short film which is a little sad story. The main characters of this movie are little girls and their father. However the parent and child have some problem. The girls have the same father and different mother. The sentiments of the girls in cold Christmas season conveyed my mind deeply.

This film is Christmas story. Therefore, the manyChristmas songs like let it snow use in this film and give reality for me. I felt cold air of Christmas season. Although it is Christmas story, this story is dark and deep. However, the warm of human exists in end of the film certainly.

It is film that contained complex theme in fifteen minute. The trifling quarrel between two girls seems sorrowful. I felt fragility and bond of relationship of parent and children. I want you to see this film and think about relationship of parent and children.

It's a realistic movie.

[Mokka-mocha45 · 8/10 · 7 August 2017]

Why does not Lynne and Elisa's father tell them the truth? Why does he not tell them that he is both Lynne and Elisa's father? I can just guess the same things happens to Lynne's brother the previous year from his line "I don't really want to go with him" and his attitude toward Elisa's brother in the last scene. So, it is strange that he says to Lynne and Elisa "Why can't you two be pals?" and it is natural that they quarrel about their father. I think if I were Lynne, I would not only quarrel with Elisa but also come not to trust my father. I have more doubtful point in this film. Why did this film's screenwriter or directer name the girl who is the main character "Lynne?" This is the same name as the screen writer's one. Does she identify herself with"Lynne?" Did she experience the same situation when she was child? I think we can encounter such a situation because of different things such as illicit love or an ex-wife. So, I think this film is so realistic and when I watched it, it gave me shiver and I also felt fear a little.

Dark Christmas story

[momorytm · 7/10 · 25 February 2019]

A 9-year-old girl goes to Christmas party with her father and brother. She finds out something special. I do not expect a happy ending somehow from the beginning of the story. The film has neither much ups and downs nor a clear ending. Yet, it makes the audience gradually feel something as they watch. After finishing watching the film, I notice some points that could be considered foreshadowing. In the beginning, the mother does not react after the father kisses her. She is kind of rejected by her kids. She looks at the father and kids out of the window. It does not really show her emotions, but I can tell that she knows something and what is going to happen next. The way they shoot and edit is really interesting to me. In the beginning, only part of their body is shown in the screen with some materials such as a toy, a cigarette, a pair of shoes or colorful materials like a little girl's tights and a floor with Christmas music playing from the radio. I think that the filmmakers did nice work making the film so aesthetic. Overall, I like how the story is going and how the filmmakers edit and put aesthetic materials in the film.

sophisticated film

[g-59652-35572 · 5/10 · 19 February 2019]

In the beginning, we can see the little girl Lynne is a normal, pampered girl in her house. Her mom help her put on dress, and comb her hair,etc. And after that, his father brings her to the christmas party. Before they go, they meet a boy and a girl on the railway. We can see adults' face are a bit weird. But still the father takes them to the party. And on the way, two little girls become friends.However, at the party, when the kids play together violently, dad is drinking and sitting with his friends. The girl feels lonely and she go to the man, the man hugs her and put her on his knees. The daughter is angry and jealous. She starts to feel weird and she runs to that girl. She pulls her hair and tries very hard to drag her down. i feel it's so violent. Perhaps it's the cultural difference. Either the kids play together (hit, drag each other violently) or the little girl tries to pull and drags another girls'' hair, i couldn't believe those adults just look at them beat each other without concerning their kids might have gotten hurt seriously. For example, when see they punch each other, i feel so horrible that what if one of them use their hand to hurt another kids' eye? So i couldn't really enjoy the movie when thinking that's not logical. It's a pity. In the end, the little girl grabs the stone and throw it lightly, this makes me feel a bit sad.