This odd, amazing, nearly uncategorizable documentary does a lot of things in a short span of time. Though it initially appears to be about rats—how high they can jump, how they infest poor neighborhoods, why studying them is useful for scientists—it turns out to be about other things, too.

For example, the redlining of Baltimore. Also, the results of experiments about confining living beings into small areas for long periods of time. Plus there’s footage of snakes in terrariums eating baby rats (which look like wrinkly flesh nuggets) and people who have pet rats and let them sit on their heads while they watch TV.

Rat Film plays October 25-29 at Northwest Film Forum. Director Theo Anthony will be in attendance on October 25 and 26. He will give a lecture about the production of Rat Film and his creative process on October 26 at 6:30 p.m.