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The Rat King

A man is driving through the dark country roads, running away from police, gangsters and relentless feeling of deep guilt after being accused of a terrible crime. The Rat King, a horrifying entity he witnessed in his childhood, is crawling back from the past to question his sanity for the one last time.

  • Max Beliayev
    Director
  • Kirill Rodkin
    Director
  • Max Beliayev
    Writer
  • Max Beliayev
    Producer
  • Kirill Rodkin
    Producer
  • Sergey Meleshenko
    Producer
  • Max Beliayev
    Key Cast
    "Shooter"
  • Kirill Rodkin
    Key Cast
    "Man"
  • Yekaterina Semionova
    Key Cast
    "Wife"
  • Sergey Meleshenko
    Key Cast
    "Cop"
  • Dmitrii Rogozhkin
    Key Cast
    "Radio DJ"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, thriller, horror
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    April 24, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Russian Federation
  • Country of Filming:
    Russian Federation
  • Language:
    Russian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Max Beliayev, Kirill Rodkin

Max Beliayev (32) & Kirill Rodkin (29) are first-time filmmakers born and living in Ryazan, Russia.

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Director Statement

The Rat King began as a vision of a silent man driving his car away from the city lights, lying to his wife over phone, then being stopped by the police and finally igniting a violent shootout.
Why he is on this track, what led him there, what crimes he committed and what is The Rat King?
Though we give a certain resolution to the story, we keep it open for interpretations: nature of guilt and shame, toxic relations in a family, confrontation between an individual and society, or a typically Russian national subconscious fear of police. On the other hand, we tried to deliver it in a thriller form with a simple plot, so at least it will entertain you as a genre movie.