Ciske the Rat

Ciske is a boy living in Amsterdam. His father is a sailor and is always away. His mother neglects him and treats him badly. The boy ends up on the street. He is expelled from school several times. He is given a nickname and pushed out. Only one teacher can handle him. The man’s name is Bruis. The story is largely told through his eyes. Ciske is both stubborn and fragile. One day, in anger and fear, he kills his mother. He is sent to a reformatory. In the end his father comes back from the sea. He and a relative take the boy in. Dick van der Velde and Kees Brusse appear in the ninety six minute film, a Dutch production Wolfgang Staudte finished in 1955.