Rabbit could have and should have been a really good thriller come may be, horror story. But pacing, narrative and inconsistent character development mitigate against that possibility ever occurring.
The movie is held together by a compelling central performance from Adelaide Clemens playing identical twins Maude and Cleo. The rest of the cast is very good too, but Clemens shines. It's notable that the film begins to drag more in the second half, when curiously, the focus shifts away for some time, from her character(s).
The cinematography, highlighting locations around south eastern South Australia, not often seen in Australian films, is also first class.
The music mirrors the storyline, in its unevenness. Appropriately foreboding much of the time, but strangely whimsical at odd moments.
My main issues with the film lie in the narrative. Why in the production notes/plot summary immediately reveal the existence of "the Council"? Surely that story point, derivative though it may be, needed to be held back to build, rather than erode suspense. What exactly was the German connection to The Council? Surely this needed more illumination. Australian Maude returns from some time studying overseas in Germany to search for her twin. The Council clearly has some sort of German heritage which is demonstrated frequently in the film's second half ... but so what? We're never given any more information.
The character of Henry the ex(?) detective is never given any real back story, though he features quite heavily in the film's first half. Why is he so obsessed with the case of missing Cleo? He says he is. But crucially the audience is never given any real reasons/evidence for him just joining Maude on her quest at the expense of every thing else. Similarly, in the film's second half, why does so much of the action start to focus on the character of Nerida, when she is just about unseen in the first half. Yes, she is German, involved with the Council and may have had a twin herself, but again, so what? It's almost like director Luke Shanahan, felt he had to give greater prominence to experienced Belgian actress Veerle Baetens, who is undeniably good in the role.
The film's conclusion when it finally arrives, heralds one of those "is that all there is?" occasions, as the final frames mirror those of the movie's opening.
The film's producers were obviously hoping to recreate a rurally-derived Rosemary's Baby type scenario, under the Southern Cross. They only succeeded in creating a rather muted, ambiguously defined off-shoot.
