Rat Film

“One of the most extraordinary, visionary inspirations in the recent cinema.”
—New Yorker

Theo Anthony’s debut feature is one of the most original and memorable documentaries in recent years. Using rats—as well as the people who love them, live with them, and kill them—as a lens to examine the history of Baltimore, Rat Film reveals the surprising symbiosis between the two species, although the essay-style documentary ultimately becomes more about the latter than the former. To quote a rat-catcher Anthony interviews, “There’s never been a rat problem in Baltimore, it’s always been a people problem.” It’s easy to see why the constantly inventive Rat Film has become one of the year’s biggest and most haunting hits on the documentary festival circuit. (82 mins., DCP)