The Justice of Bunny King

The cards and dice have fallen the wrong way, the fine lines have been drawn, and now you're left astray, in a world that doesn't care, you're driven further to despair, but in a fight for what is right, you'll have your say. Alas the powers in control have put up walls, and they are deaf to all your pleadings and your calls, there's a process to be followed, they must make sure that you're hollowed, and even then there's further steps that you must crawl. But your passion and your instinct keep you spurred, to do what's right, you will no longer be deterred, you may have hit the rocks, but you're pulling up your socks, and fighting to be seen, and to be heard.

Essie Davis is outstanding as the mother who's done nothing wrong but is punished to extremes for trying to recover the kids she loves and seeks to protect.

The protagonist "Bunny" has to find back to her place in the world, but since the society wont make it easy for an homeless women and institutions, who are used to help her, are failing her in any way, she's forced to find her own way by breaking a few laws.

The idea is simple, an homeless woman is trapped in a circle of poverty: in order to see her kids she has to get a home, in order to get a home she has to get work, also she has to look like "i'm-not-homess" in order to get a home or work. So it's difficult to get to her children, but she is trying anyway.

In addition to that, her niece "Tonya" experience the horror, and Bunny confronts her sister with it, but she doesn't believe her. So Bunnys mission throughout the movie is rescuing Tonya and celebrating her daughters birthday, while nobody will listen to her. To achieve that, she makes uncomfortable decisions like lying, exploiting or destroying.

The movie contains just a few characters, so Essie Davis ("Bunny") and Thomasin McKenzie ("Tonya") had to deliver and they did. I would recomment this movie to everyone who likes emotional dramas.

For me it's a good movie, I will watch it a second time some day.

Wow! I just finished watching "The Justice of Bunny King" and I have to admit, I'm emotionally drained. What a powerful piece of filmmaking. The acting is absolutely superb. And the story kept me hooked right until the end. It's all about the desperate situation a mother gets into when her children are taken from her. She's basically living on the streets, earning money by washing windshields at busy intersections.

And the state seems to have almost no compassion for her situation. In fact, when a friend invites her to stay with his family, who happen to be Maori, you notice immediately that they have far more compassion than the government does. They immediately welcome her as part of their family.

Bunny desperately tries to be reunited with her two children. However, it's a struggle that seems to be insurmountable. What a moving and emotional story. If you're looking for something different to watch, I highly recommend watching this remarkable film.

Greetings again from the darkness. Most of us are quick to judge others. Often too quick. This superb (and bleak) feature film debut from writer-director Gaysorn Thavat reminds us that our initial judgments might just be an easy "out" for us so that we may go on about our way, oblivious to the struggles of others. There is observational commentary here on what it means for a parent to love their kids so deeply, for someone to believe in themselves whole-heartedly, and for the pain an institution can cause under the guise of doing the right thing.

Essie Davis (THE BABADOOK, 2014) delivers a ferocious and authentic performance as Bunny, who is much stronger than we might originally think. Is she more determined or desperate? We aren't sure. She's also very clever at times, though sometimes unable to control her emotions. Bunny's focus is on securing housing so that Social Services will permit her kids to live with her. Currently, she's only allowed supervised visits, and we see loves them intensely. Shannon (Amelia Baynes) is a disabled 5-year-old who loves her back, while Reuben (Angus Stevens) is an angry and frustrated 14-year old who just wants a 'normal' life that doesn't involve foster homes.

Bunny is perpetual motion. She describes herself as self-employed, spending days as a "Squeegee Bandit" cleaning windshields at stoplights for loose change. She's saving that change in a soda bottle that she keeps in the linen closet of her sister's house. It's here where she cleans house, cooks dinner, does laundry, and watches kids all for the benefit of getting to sleep on the couch. Her sister Grace (Toni Potter) is a late shift nurse whose husband Bevan (Errol Shand) is a d-bag in so many ways. In fact, Bevan is at the center of an incident with Bunny's niece Tonyah (Thomasin McKenzie, JOJO RABBIT, 2019; LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, 2021) that cuts right to the heart of Bunny's character. We see how she reacts and begin to understand how she arrived at this particular lot in life.

Thavat's co-writers Sophie Henderson (BABY DONE, 2020) and Gregory King center much of Bunny's actions around the birthday party she has promised daughter Shannon for her upcoming birthday party. Is Bunny fit to be a mother? Most of the time we think she is devoting every waking moment to reuniting with her kids. However, in her worst moments, she lashes out and displays poor judgment, leaving us and Social Services with serious doubt. The past is brilliantly unfolded and never dwelled on because Bunny wakes up every morning optimistic about what lays ahead. There is a terrific sequence involving her attire, and Ms. Davis just nails the shift in tone. Hers is an award-worthy performance, if only enough people will see the film (which is doubtful). This New Zealand production expertly sets the stage with 4 Non Blondes "What's Up" and then bookends with a different version by Willa Amai.

Opens in theaters on September 23, 2022.

This little gem was co-written and is the first full-length feature film directorial debut for New Zealand filmmaker Gaysorn Thavat, and she gave us an exceptional piece of filmmaking. This film reminds me a lot of To Leslie starring Andrea Riseborough, as it highlights real-world socioeconomic issues that tug at your heart-strings. It has many depths and layers of emotional intelligence, with exceptional character study on the undeterred spirit of a mother held back by societies systems. It is told with conviction and anger, with some great occasional moments of dark comedy. But great directing and storytelling needs an equally great performance, and Essie Davis as Bunny brought that authenticity needed to elevate the filmmaking to the top shelf. For that matter, all casting and performances deserve praise, as does the cinematography and score. It's a definite must-see and well deserved 9/10 from me.