The film documents the feudal life in Kerala at its twilight overshadowed with grief, and a sense of carelessness/avoidance as a form of revolt.

[3][4][failed verification][5] A middle-aged man, Unni, and his two sisters live in an ancient tharavadu (manor) in Kerala.

Eventually, succumbing to the adverse conditions surrounding him, Unni becomes entrapped in his attitudes and ways, helpless like a rat in a trap.

The movie's title, 'Rat Trap,' is a metaphor for a state of oblivion to changes in the external world, such as the disintegration of the feudal system in which some are caught, leading to irrelevance and destruction.

He turns down an offer, deeming it beneath his family's standards, and remains silent and unable to act while she is ailing.

This eventually leads to her death, highlighting his lack of insight and disorganized thinking, which incapacitates him from responding to the situation.

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "As directed by Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Rat Trap is slow, thoughtful and engrossing.