The Justice Of Bunny King (2022)
Hanging on in quiet desperation is not just the English way. Just about everyone can identify with worrying about how to make ends meet to where it means taking an odd job here and there. Many films have captured what it’s like to crave community and family but also lose sense of how to hold on especially in the face of so much destitution. The Justice Of Bunny King astutely observes what it’s like to wrestle with both the internal and the external factors at play.
The nature of paternal resilience is also beautifully explored in this debut feature film from Gaysorn Thavat. “We’re trying to help you” is what the system keeps telling our headstrong protagonist. That’s what mother Bunny King keeps getting told, while she tries to win back her kids after they are placed into foster care. Essie Davis plays the title character who also works as a squeegee bandit washing windows at traffic lights (oddly enough I watched a film from 1980 right before this which also features a scene where two teenage girls attempt to do the same thing).
Bunny is also staying at her sister's place on a couch and trying defeatedly to acquire some semblance of stability ahead of a state visit. She then suddenly witnesses an incident in her sister's home that forces her and her niece Tonyah (Thomasin McKenzie) on the run together and we follow them trying as they attempt to regroup. Around the third act, there is a bit of a leap that audiences may find themselves questioning a bit despite being carried along by Davis’ authentic conviction when it comes to character decisions. The plot isn’t really the main focus - it’s about the complex character of Bunny trying to find her sense of self without falling apart. Not to mention the system that seems to be working against her at every turn. Yet Bunny’s undeterred spirit keeps you rooting for her every step of the weay.
This grim, yet perceptive social drama is very much along the lines of Ken Loach or The Dardenne Brothers while also managing not to resort to simply being about the struggles surrounding poverty. It is about a variety of hardships without resorting to much in the way of manic melodrama like we’ve come to expect. Davis is asked to act out on certain occasions but it never feels like “acting” in a way that calls attention. She’s absolutely the reason to see this but it’s also very easy to empathize with what the film is bringing to our attention regarding a number of sociological implications and the discriminatory practices that ensue for the working class.
This is a film about how we overcome the many challenges we are faced with until it decides to thread down familiar territory almost to the point of becoming a thriller for better or worse. Domestic abuse, housing shortages, employment scarcity and certainly the ramifications that come with experiencing a lot of these hardships. We watch Bunny and to a lesser extent, Tonyah, deal with the various plights that come their way, many of which are grounded in compassion for all involved. It feels lived-in and well-observed but there’s no denying that the third act does leave a little to be desired and sadly, McKenzie is underutilized.
Despite those missteps, The Justice Of Bunny King still manages to be one of those quietly engaging first-time efforts that makes you excited for whatever they do next whether it includes its lead star or not. The cinematography even when it’s handheld is noticeably rich and especially the central performance make this a step above your typical mother in peril story (something Davis manages to excel at going all the way back to The Babadook). We are privy to a crisis welfare state in New Zealand that can often leave its citizens oppressed and distressed. Bunny deserves justice and stability and the film doesn’t necessarily provide an easy, attainable way for her to find the right balance even if her heart is in the right place. That holds true for so many people that I imagine many will walk away with even more empathy for the many Bunny Kings in all of our lives. After all, everyone deserves another chance at a new beginning.
