Ratje, de Mens & De Metro
Documentary - Short Film - 2026
Amazed by human greed, Staartje, a little rat born and raised in the Amsterdam metro—crosses the city via the North–South Line to fathom humanity’s desire for ever more, better, and faster. Why is enough still never enough?
‘The Little Rat, Humanity and the Metro’ is a whirlwind film essay with a touch of magical realism. Staartje, a little rat born and raised in Amsterdam’s North–South Line, is sick and tired of humans labeling her and her kind as too filthy, too dirty, and too much. “It’s time for the truth,” she declares.
What follows is an adventurous journey through the Amsterdam metro, in which Staartje, with a sharp eye and plenty of humor, observes the, often questionable, behavior of humans. Along the way, Staartje encounters, among others, a businessman in Zuid trapped in the rat race, a fortune-teller in Noord who day in, day out predicts the futures of greedy people, and an archaeologist at Rokin who—amid the many finds he made during the construction of the metro—laments human complacency. “Humans are just filthy creatures,” he says.
And the further Staartje makes her way through the Amsterdam metro, the clearer it becomes that humans—with their boundless desire for more, better, and faster—actually display vermin-like traits themselves. “And you call *me* a pest?” Staartje wonders. “Yeah… tell that to the rats!” A sober plea for the importance of contentment, disguised as a playful adventure—with a tail.
MAIN CREW
Director and screenplay: Thomas W. Renckens
Editing: Nina Graafland
DOP: Twan Peeters
Music: Natalia Tsupryk
Sound Design: Tatiana Sanches
Media manager: Rob Maas
Executive producer: Mascha Arkink & Manon Tsang