An infestation of thieving rats throws a gothic village’s capitalist existence into disarray until the arrival of a mysterious stranger offers them a miraculous solution…if they’re willing to accept the cost. Director Jiří Barta’s innovative stop-motion masterwork is a deliciously twisted, expressionistic adaptation of the popular legend. Presented here in its 2023 restoration by Deaf Crocodile and preceded by two new stop-motion animated shorts: The Gnawer of Rocks, dir. Louise Flaherty (Canada); Prey, dir. Pax Nelson (USA) —Joseph Hernandez