Rats! – A Wild, Punk Rock Texas Odyssey
In a cinematic landscape where indie films are often overshadowed by big-budget spectacles, Rats! emerges as a scrappy, defiant, and unfiltered burst of creative energy. Directed by Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky, this offbeat comedy takes us to Fresno, Texas, in 2007, following a graffiti artist who, through no fault of his own, stumbles into an escalating whirlwind of criminal mishaps, conspiracy theories, and absurdist humor. With shades of 90s punk cinema, Rats! is an exhilarating mess—one that revels in its own madness.
Plot Breakdown: Welcome to the Circus
Raphael, a seemingly harmless graffiti artist, finds himself in county jail after a minor arrest. What should have been a routine incident spirals into a bizarre sequence of events involving a sting operation, meth-fueled paranoia, a plutonium deal gone terribly wrong, and a local newswoman eager for a career-defining story. Raphael isn't responsible for any of it, yet he's at the center of the storm, making Rats! feel less like a traditional film and more like a fever dream with a killer soundtrack.
Danielle Evon Ploeger, Luke Wilcox, Darius Autry, Khali Sykes, Ariel Ash, Jacob Wysocki, and John Ennis round out the cast, bringing an unpolished but endearing rawness to their performances. The ensemble's chemistry amplifies the film's DIY charm, making even the most absurd sequences feel grounded in a strange, hyperreal version of Texas.
The Punk Rock Aesthetic
If early Richard Linklater films like Slacker or SubUrbia had a chaotic younger cousin, it would be Rats! The film wears its punk influences proudly, not just in its visual language but in its refusal to conform to conventional storytelling. The frenetic editing, handheld cinematography, and an unapologetic embrace of dark humor make it feel like a relic from the VHS underground era—a love letter to the misfits and rebels of indie cinema.
The film also thrives on its unpredictable energy. Scenes crash into each other with reckless abandon, mirroring Raphael's lack of control over his circumstances. The script, co-written by Fry and Nalevansky, operates on controlled chaos, ensuring that no moment overstays its welcome. If anything, Rats! is a reminder that cinema doesn't need to be polished to be compelling—it needs to be alive.
Final Thoughts: Cult Classic or Over-the-Top Experiment?
For audiences craving something polished and traditional, Rats! might be a tough sell. But for those who appreciate films that feel like a Molotov cocktail hurled at mainstream sensibilities, this is a must-watch. It's crass, irreverent, and gleefully chaotic, yet beneath its layers of madness lies a surprisingly touching coming-of-age story.
Yellow Veil Pictures is set to release Rats! in select U.S. theaters on February 28, 2025, followed by a VOD release on March 11. Whether it becomes an underground cult classic or a misunderstood experiment, one thing is certain: Rats! refuses to be ignored.
Personal Impressions
There's something exhilarating about a film that doesn't care whether you love it or hate it—it just wants you to feel something. Rats! achieves that in spades. It's easy to draw comparisons to Harmony Korine's Gummo or Gregg Araki's The Doom Generation, yet it stands on its own as a scrappy, audacious piece of punk cinema. The performances are delightfully unhinged, the humor is razor-sharp, and the film's ability to turn chaos into coherence is impressive. It's not for everyone, but for those who resonate with its anarchic spirit, it's a riotous ride worth taking.
What do you think—does Rats! have the makings of a new cult classic, or is it just a chaotic indie experiment? Let us know your thoughts!
