One of many surprising pleasures of this yr’s huge SXSW slate of flicks is Bunny, a form of zany comedian throwback to excessive indie NYC-centric films that discover a manic vitality and rhythm that lets them exist on their very own breathless cloud with a solid filled with wacky characters shifting out and in of body in motion that takes place nearly solely in an East Village tenement, or outdoors simply in entrance of it. In some methods Bunny is an oddball cross of Weekend At Bernies, Abbott & Costello, Cheech & Chong, and a brand new age Marx Brothers film, plus movies of the Safdie Bros (notably Uncut Gems) all the best way again to Hal Ashby’s fantastic directorial debut with 1970’s The Landlord, one other NYC tenement film I stored serious about watching this stew. Throw all of them right into a blender and also you might need one thing resembling what first time director and co-star Ben Jacobson has cooked up with fellow author (additionally with their co-writer Stefan Marolachakis) and star Mo Stark who performs the title character.
Set in a kind of run-down, mouse-infested buildings with a various group of tenants who seem like simply the form of folks Trump would like to deport, the place however is teeming with life and seemingly continuous exercise on a scorching summer time day that additionally occurs to be Bunny’s birthday. On the movie’s begin this generally hustler/intercourse employee is seen bloodied and working frantically by the streets, even stopping for a fast change of garments earlier than ultimately coming into his condominium the place his spouse Bobbie (a spirited Liza Colby) has arrange the final word present with a girlfriend as they plan to supply him a three-way, however he’s not within the temper as a result of some deep bother as we quickly see when a person follows him and winds up strangled by Bunny and lifeless.
Bunny additionally appears the jack-of-all-trades of the constructing as he offers with numerous tenants together with serving to with decorations for an enormous celebration that night time. However with buddy Dino (Jacobson) serving to, he now could be preoccupied in determining the best way to eliminate this newly lifeless physique. It will get richer from there when but one other man is discovered lifeless of a heroin overdose and should even be disappeared. It isn’t simple as there are two dimwit cops (Ajay Naidu and Liz Caribel Sierra) on the beat of this explicit constructing and extra to come back complicating issues.
A lot of the film has nothing a lot on its thoughts apart from making a collection of shenanigans ripe for comedian exploitation, if not a lot credibility, however that is form of film the place you simply don’t wish to suppose too arduous about authenticity. It’s a romp and offers its solid a lot room to play. Amongst them are landlady (Linda Rong Mei Chen) , father-in-law (Tony Drazan), even an nearly vegetative resident hooked 24/7 on all things-David Carradine (Oscar profitable screenwriter Eric Roth turns up for this bit). There’s additionally a needy orthodox Jewish girl (Genevieve Hudson-Worth) on the premises this present day, Henry Czerny as a rabbi, plus numerous others floating by the flooring and the doorways, and making Bunny’s birthday memorable in all of the mistaken methods.
Properly shot by cinematographer Jackson Hunt with a continually shifting digital camera, Bunny has a proficient main man in Stark whose hapless expressions and preoccupation with staying alive and skirting the regulation preserve us royally entertained together with the remainder of this ragtag ensemble.
Producers Sarah Sarandos, Scott Dougan, Jacobson, Stark, and Marolachakis.
Title: Bunny
Competition: SXSW (Narrative Competitors)
Gross sales Agent: CAA
Director: Ben Jacobson
Screenplay: Mo Stark, Ben Jacobson, Stefan Marolachakis
Solid: Mo Stark, Ben Jacobson, Tony Drazan, Liza Colby, Linda Rong Mei Chen, Genevieve Hudson-Worth, Eleonore Hendricks, Kia Warren, Ajay Naidu, Liz Caribel, Richard Worth, Eric Roth, Ben Groh, Michael Abbott Jr. , Noa Fisher, Jaeden Gomez, Yaz Perea, Henry Czerny
Operating Time: 1 hour and 27 minutes.
