The Justice of Bunny King provides a rich character study courtesy of Davis’ wonderful performance and a mostly solid script.
Bunny King is many things. To those who view her on the streets, she’s just another homeless person who doesn’t want to get a real job. To some of those closest to her, they view her as a mentally unstable person who should be considered a danger. But at the core of this complicated woman is a mother who wants nothing more than to regain custody of her two children and throw her daughter a birthday party, no matter what it might take.
Gaysorn Thavat’s debut feature “The Justice of Bunny King” tackles many issues that we’ve seen before – a parent, frustrated beyond means with social services, trying to do their best for themselves and their children – but Australian actress Essie Davis breathes such depth into her character that you forget you’re watching an actress portray a fictional character. She’s able to capture every emotion, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, and even when the film goes off into a left-field third act, she still is able to keep it grounded.
It seems like the world is constantly at odds with Bunny. She’s having to essentially start over following a prison sentence, and one of the only jobs she can secure is squeegeeing car windows for a couple of dollars a day. But each coin and dollar means the world to Bunny. Not because it could help her purchase a new bra that doesn’t have underwire sticking out and poking her body all day long – one of several little details that further illuminates Bunny’s situation – but because it brings her closer to raising enough money to find a home for herself and her children – although New Zealand’s housing shortage and high rent prices are not helping whatsoever. She lights up when she’s with her disabled young daughter Shannon (Amelie Baynes) and teenage son Reuben (Angus Stevens), who are currently in foster care, but those moments are often cut short or ruined by social service workers who constantly hover.
For anyone who has experienced homelessness or dealt with social services of any kind, achieving each of the “steps” that are expected – finding a job, securing housing, meeting with social workers, seeking mental health help if necessary – constantly feels like an uphill battle, and Thavat shines a great light on these issues. Bunny experiences the pressure nonstop, whether being judged when she’s viewing an apartment or being told her appearance sets her back, but she doesn’t give up. In the meantime, she lives with her sister Grace (Toni Potter) and Grace’s boyfriend Bevan (Errol Shand), where she cooks and helps out with their children. Davis captures this woman’s spirit fully, through the good times and bad, and never dives into too melodramatic territory.
But when Bunny witnesses a distressing moment between Bevan and her young niece Tonyah (Thomasin McKenzie), her life takes a turn that complicates her situation even further. Here we really see Davis’ acting chops fully utilized as she has to seek shelter elsewhere – her sister decides to stand by Bevan rather than believe what Bunny witnessed – and stretch herself to the limit. She’s later joined by Tonyah, who’d rather drift from one place to another with Bunny than stay at home.
When they team up, it gives viewers even more insight into who Bunny is as a person, which sometimes includes making decisions that will likely bite her later on and exploding at people. She often has good reasons, but it doesn’t mean she should act on them. But through Davis’s performance, you can’t help but be on her side, even though you know it’s wrong, just because she shows how desperate Bunny is to be with her children.
Her performance is so strong that it almost has us forgive the wonky direction the movie heads in in the third act: Bunny so desperately wants to spend time with her daughter for her birthday, but ends up holding a social services office hostage in the process. It’s entirely out of left field, but more of Bunny’s humanity shines through, further deepening our understanding of this character.
The Justice of Bunny King provides a rich character study courtesy of Davis’ wonderful performance and a mostly solid script by Sophie Henderson, though it does veer off into chaotic territory in the end. Thavat launches herself as a fierce director in this debut, and it’ll be exciting to see what’s next for her.
Rating: 3 out of 5
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About The Justice of Bunny King
Bunny King is a mother of two, a rough cut diamond with a sketchy past. While battling the system to reunite with her children, a confrontation leads her to take her niece Tonyah under her wing. With the world against her and Tonyah, Bunny’s battle has just begun.
The Justice of Bunny King is available on demand and digital now.
