Rodents of Unusual Size

"Rodents of Unusual Size" is a documentary about the nutria infestation of Louisiana. It seems in the 1930s, the huge rodents were brought to the state to create a fur industry. It seems back in the day, nutria fur coats were the rage. However, sometime after their arrival to fur farms, some escaped and being horny critters, they bred like...um...nutrias! Soon the state was covered in the animals...which wasn't so bad until the fur industry crashed and burned because of changing times and attitudes about fur. Now, there was very little to keep them in check so the Louisiana government has taken to putting a $5 bounty on them. Additionally, some have taken to eating the apparently disgusting but delicious creatures. While the film didn't say it, I also know that the state was sending out mini cookbooks filled with nutria recipes!

This documentary is definitely pro-hunting....and considering what a nuisance they are (they cause severe damage to the canals and swamps), it makes sense. I am sure some folks might get offended by this and the suggestion that they start using nutria fur again...though they kill the critters anyway and making coats and the like from them certainly makes sense to me.

Overall, a surprisingly interesting film...one that kept my interest throughout.

Rodents of Unusual Size was a fun and engaging documentary with beautiful filmography. It captures Louisiana culture and its people beautifully through the entertaining lens of a giant rodent. It was everything I expected from a well produced documentary, but what engaged me the most was the way it exposed the particular moral dilemmas of nutria in Louisiana in a way that can be applied to broader conflicts. Just one example: why do people, and often wealthy people, tend to treat these animals like pets and protect them when they are in fact destroying the very land they live on? The filmmakers did a great job of portraying multiple sides of an argument with respect and allowing the audience to come to their own conclusions. Would love to see more films from them!

Who wouldn't love seeing giant swamp rats? The camera work and editing of this film is amazing, a pleasure to watch, over and over (personally I watching it over 20 times), so many details to think about, costal erosion, cajun culture, native Americans ..... this film has it all! Well done, Jeff, Quinn and Chris, well done!

ROUS is a whimsical, quirky approach to the story of invasive species, something that can be really dry and boring to learn about. The film's human subjects are larger than life with fascinating stories, and the film weaves them together in an unforgettable story of people, animals, and culture.

The documentary covers the history of the importation of nutria to Louisiana as a competitor to muskrats in the once-popular fur trade, and of its ecological consequences to humans.