Cours, lapin, cours

Saw this back at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

The story is about a Fertility doctor named Sarah begins her beloved daughter Mia's seventh birthday expecting nothing amiss. But as an ominous wind swirls in, Sarah's carefully controlled world begins to alter. Australian director Daina Reid takes influence on slow-burn artsy style horror movies like "The Babadook" and tries to create a chilly horror story about ghosts, children, and past. However, despite gorgeous camerawork and a great performance from Sarah Snook, "Run Rabbit Run" suffers from inconsistent narrative and uneven pacing. Reid no doubt does offer some interesting ideas and her talents are exposed. But the problem is that the film doesn't have a clear tone what it wants to be and the positive moments are overshadowed by dull writing and really unlikeable characters.

The production design is pretty simple but it helped to create the Australian landscape setting and creepiness. The performances are a mix of good and bad. As I mentioned Snook's performance was excellent as she was able to capture the emotions of her character but the performances from Lily LaTorre and Damon Herriman while they try their best, it didn't work as their performances were over or underacted. None of the characters were really investing and some of them really comes off as frustrating and I wish they were given enough depth but unfortunately had no emotionally barring to connect with. The story provides an interesting concept and scenario but the writing struggles to maintain itself and becomes really bland and predictable. I don't mind slow pace films as I enjoy art-house and slow pace films if the writing was done well. But here, the pacing ruins much of the films tension as the uneven pacing creates more of a dullness experience rather than feeling of being scared. Australian cinema is no strange to horror films as there are some great ones out there but there are also some really garbage ones as well. Here, it's not terrible but it just didn't work for me.

Rating: C.

Sarah Snook definitely nailed the part. She was the film's saving grace. All the actors were fantastic.

But alas, this movie was just too slow. I understand the need for character development, but there were just too many disjointed holes and illogical decisions made in the plot.

Also, why is it so trendy all of a sudden to make so-called horror movies so crazily dark? Don't these people have lights in their homes?

Little, Mia, or Alice, or whomever, doesn't do anything anyone tells her, so why does her mum keep leaving her in the house and telling her not to leave? What does she think is going to happen?

The movie is a bit of a mess, but still watchable. I wound up hating the mom, lol.

The writers tried to commingle supernatural elements with psychological thriller elements, in what ended up being a terrible sequence of events. Ultimately I found the story flat and nondescript. With a different set of hands, I think this movie could have been fulfilling and exciting.

Sarah Snook delivers a good, but perhaps unmemorable performance as the troubled mother. It got annoying to hear her shout "Mia!" every five minutes and to see her scold, physically hurt, and discipline her daughter.

Any scenes with Joan or Denise were unsubstantial. Also Mia's drawings added nothing of horror to this picture. It's a rudimentary Netflix-produced movie with a poor script and unexplained symbolism.

While the premise may not have been anything groundbreaking as it resembles films and themes we've seen before, Sarah Snook delivers a sensational and captivating performance that is well worth it. An absolute joy to watch and definitely an actor to keep your eye on in the years to come as she continues to prove herself as one of the most talented actors of her generation. The cinematography is another strong point in this film with Australia playing an impressive part in the mise-en-scene. And hats off to the young Lily LaTorre for her eerie and dedicated performance. It may not be as fast paced of a film as a lot of moviegoers hope for but it offers ample space for the nuanced performances by our two leads.

'Run Rabbit Run' is everything I hate in a horror film. An unrealistic story, that isn't scary or horrifying in any way and features extremely annoying characters that are impossible to care for. This was a tough watch for all the wrong reasons.

The film has no point. It has no reason for the audience to be invested. There are no stakes. You could say we are supposed to be curious about the explanation to what is going on, but the film isn't exactly subtle. We have the gist of what is happening, we just need some minor details filled in. It isn't enough.

But if you're in the mood for 100 minutes of a mother and daughter screaming at each other then this might just be the film for you. However, if you're like me and that sounds like the worst thing in the world, then chances are you'll detest watching this one as much as I did. 3/10.