Getting past the in-your-face title of this film is only half the battle - it’s the disturbing and surprisingly emotional footage that will have audiences squirming in their seats for more than an hour, and wanting to take action once the final credits roll across the screen.

“Rats” is a documentary film from director James Felter that is the true urban-wildlife story of the rat population in Washington, D.C.

Felter displays how the rats have taken over the city and portrays citizen reaction ranging from the passive to the violent.

Three storylines are woven together to give the audience a clear image of how people in the city are handling their little neighbors.

In the film, for every one person in Washington, D.C., there are 14 rats.

People in this region see their surroundings littered with the rodents as often as others see sidewalks cluttered with cigarette butts.

And Felter captures everyone from homeless people offering their take on the rat dilemma to city officials scrambling for solutions to the problem.

And as each scene fades to black, the audience is left with the chilling image of a rat sniper waiting on the front porch for the next victim.

We remember the city official stopping in mid-conversation because she thinks “someone” is drowning. Her humanization of the rat is an alarming wake-up call.

Sifting through the dark footage, Felter is able to depict how these animals are running scared, fighting for their survival and how something has to be done in order to accommodate both the rodents and people of Washington, D.C.

The film takes the meekest of audience members and transforms them into supporters of this not-so-popular rodent.

Instead of running from these little critters, people will find themselves running to help them.