White Rabbit

Any mildly neurotic to severely psychotic artists out there? Hm, yes, the target audience for this one is going to be tight. But if my title fits you, or if you're somehow trying to figure out how to deal with one of those types, then this will be a real treat.

"White Rabbit" follows 2 weeks in the life of "Sophia" (Vivian Bang) who is a freelance performance artist in LA. Or as she explains to her mother, "I make things you can't sell." Over the course of 2 weeks we witness her professional crisis, relationship crisis, and an overall life crisis in a very quirky and personal way. Although imdb lists this as a comedy drama, don't expect any gags, punchlines and LOLs because it's not that kind of comedy. It's more like the comedy of real life where there's no laugh track to our disasters, but objectively looking at it, it's just bizarre enough to be funny.

The interesting angle is that Sophia is a 1st generation Korean American who is trying her hardest to spin a racial discussion even though none exists. For example, one of her routines is a dramatic monologue about the LA riots and the media's coverage of black-on-Korean violence. Yes, 15 years prior. As such, her audience (strangers in the park) react with a mix of lukewarm politeness and complete disregard.

As the story unfolds, we see a similar attitude she has in her relationships (fabricating drama that doesn't necessarily apply). And ultimately we realize that Sophia is the perfect personification of passion without direction, or perhaps the Shakesperean "sound and fury signifying nothing". Still, we are instantly hooked, wondering if this girl will pull herself together or if it'll end in "the way to dusty death."

I thought the acting was fantastic all around, with real world type dialogue (such as people talking over each other, or not necessarily finishing sentences), giving this film a very personal and familiar flavor, as if we're hanging out with friends.

There aren't too many flicks like this, but I might group it alongside other quirky dramas like "Punch Drunk Love" or an obscure 2009 gem about misdirected artists & musicians called "(untitled)".

Not too sure whether the character or the script writer was confused. it's looks like a comedy at first but it looks like the overall theme around mental health. cool visual but seriously i could not recommend this to anyone

The lead actor clearly has talent, but everything else about this production screams amateur. Constant issues with focus, machine gun repetition of the word like, and woeful casting (are we really meant to believe he's her boyfriend?) places left this unwatchable. The first 5 minutes should really let us know what the protagonist has to overcome, but this fell short of even that. This was a thankfully shorter film that in essence amounted to watching a woman on her phone and go about her daily life. A filmed blog. The lead actor should go far, she has an abundance of talent, the soundtrack was also first rate but misplaced more often than not.

Loved this film. The lead actor is brilliant and it is unconventional and funny. The carefully selected soundtrack is amazing and brings a lot of emotion. I really empathised with her throughout the story.

I know this isn't Vivian Bang's story, per se, but the director's notes at Sundance indicated that White Rabbit is heavily influenced by her life as an LA performance artist. I wish it was even more specifically her story, cause what we have here is, unfortunately, a film that unfolds in a very predictable fashion. A complaint I often level at "historical" films---why am I able to predict what's going to happen next in what should be a wildly unique tale? I shouldn't. The same applies here. Ms. Bang is undeniably talented but she deserves better. She will do better. She is far and away the best thing about this movie. Everything else seems hackneyed and familiar and bargain basement, even by indie standards. The rest of the cast seems like friends of the director or friends of Vivian or random people who were grabbed off the street. I didn't find that charming. I'm ready for a nuanced film about "the other" experience. The hammer to the head and the over-the-top obviousness of the oppression render the criticism toothless. It's a shame, cause the problem is real. Nothing new is illuminated here.