Festival Favorite "RATS!" (2024) Melds Angsty Punk With Absurdist Comedy (TRAILER)

Be honest, how many of you reading this uses to listen to music from Epitaph Records, Asian Man Records, and Fat Wreck Chords when you were younger? Yeah, we see you, and we know that you probably had a wardrobe full of t-shirts exclusively purchased at gigs and jeans/shorts/pants that were either Dickeys or denim. Chances are, if you’re one of these folks you probably traded in your mohawk for a Patagonia vest and your Vans in for a nice pair of loafers, the kind of existence that Steveo and Bob would rally against in “SLC Punk.” That early 00s punk energy is channeled in the trailer for the upcoming, “Rats!” from Yellow Veil Pictures.

The synopsis below reads like a the ramblings of a punk-minded lunatic, and if we’re being honest, we are super interested. After seeing a lot of success at film festivals last year like Fantastic Fest and Seattle International Film Festival, “Rats!” is gearing up for a theatrical run on February 28, 2025, with a VOD release slated for March 11, 2025. Check out the trailer below, and we will be bringing you our take on “Rats!” later this month!

Synopsis

It's 2007 in Pfresno, Texas. Raphael is in county jail following an arrest for graffiti. He's a good kid. It's just graffiti. So you can't blame Raphael for the events that unfold after his arrest. He's not responsible for the sting operation, Pflophaus' new mix-tape, Officer Williams and her delusional suspicions, the meth pipes, the FBI, the rich kids with nothing to lose, Mateo, Larry the pig, all the knives, the local aspiring TV newswoman, the plutonium deal gone wrong, or anyone who may or may not die due to that deal turning sour. None of it is Raphael's fault, but it is his problem.

A screamo soundtrack featuring artists from Epitaph Records and more, including:

Thursday

Blood Brothers

From First To Last

I Set My Friends On Fire

Propagandhi

Ka5sh & Yung Skrrt Ft. Lil

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