Bunny

"Bunny" is, without exaggeration, one of the most revolting movie experiences I've had in years. It's not just bad-it's the kind of bad that feels sticky. Every frame looks like it was dredged out of a dumpster behind a mall in 2003. The movie radiates grime. I genuinely felt like I needed bleach and a pressure washer after sitting through it.

I don't know what "Bunny" was trying to be, but whatever the goal was, the final result is a disgusting, grime-soaked mess that left me feeling like I needed to scrub my eyes (and maybe my soul). The whole film feels sticky in the worst possible way-filthy visuals, murky writing, and scenes that seem designed to make the audience uncomfortable, but without any artistic payoff.

I spent most of the movie wondering if any of this was intentional or if the production simply went off the rails.

What really blows my mind is how many glowing reviews popped up immediately after release. Maybe I'm cynical, but they read so polished and unusually enthusiastic that I wouldn't be surprised if they were written by people involved in the film's production (just my opinion-but something feels off).

If the goal of cinema is to make you feel something, then "Bunny" succeeds... just not in a good way. Mostly it made me feel like taking a very long bath and pretending I never saw it.

Bunny is a fast movie that's tightly packed in close quarters. The script is so dense it feels nearly as claustrophobic as the narrow apartment complex it bounces around in. It was fun, charming, and always engaging - like a mix of Trainspotting and The Bear. Overall a great movie to sit down with and before you know it it's over.

Being from new york, it's a movie that definitely hits home and has a very nostalgic feel too. When I used to live in the village, but the movie itself had moments where it made me laugh out loud and had a certain chaotic cohesiveness to it that gave you a complete story. Dino and Bunny are great together. I would like to see them in another Giy Richie-esq crime/comedy film.

An apartment block of misfits in downtown America cope like a disfunctional family with the trials of the day. It's Bunny's (main male lead) Birthday, but he just moves from one thing to another dealing with the ridiculous problems, particularly that of a body.

This was an unusual film for me, because I usually insist on good stories, and the story itself is nothing special. However I LOVED the acting esp. Bunny and his girlfriend. Very much downtown grimey lives and how their life is a bit crap, but they all muddle through and behind it all is the clear but not directly expressed love that they have for each other.

So, this film is probably not for non-Americans or at least people that wouldn't understand American mumbling trite issues to each other embeded in the throw-away culture. For example a scene I loved was simply two guys rattling sports players names to each other and a woman standing by trying to look interested but obviously not interested. It is these scenes and these character interactions that drives the film. At one point early on I did want to stop watching cos I was bored, but I just didn't get that it's a very dear character study of 'downtown Americans on the block'.

So personally, I don't know whether to recommend.. it is a special film because of the acting and the way the characters interact, but I wouldn't watch it again and those looking for drama, action, or story will be disappointed. It's 4 stars for that crowd, but 8 or 9 stars for those that want something different and love a film that's character focussed. Bunny comes across as a great guy, and the occupants of the building are varied ages and backgrounds but all together. Comedy? Very light and not laugh out loud. I have it a 7 stars, but felt compelled to write because it did very well what it was intended to do and is quite unique. A+ to the director.

One of the most exciting aspects of attending a film festival is the element of discovery: randomly screening one film that completely resonates with me. At South by Southwest 2025, that unexpected gem was Bunny, a briskly paced comedy-thriller made on a tiny budget with an utterly irresistible cast of characters. Out of all the films I screened, this is the one that leaves me with a smile on my face every time I think about it.

I hadn't planned on seeing Bunny. In fact, it was only because I couldn't get into another screening that I ended up in the theater. I had no idea what to expect, and within minutes, I was hooked. The premise is simple: a couple of friends enlist their neighbors to help hide a dead body. But rather than unfolding as a tense crime thriller, Bunny embraces chaos with a sharp, quick-witted comedic sensibility. The film is bursting with charm, and its naturalistic performances make it feel entirely authentic.

The world created here feels lived-in and real. The dialogue is unforced and has a certain rhythm to it, making it feel like we're following along in real-time as the events unfold. The cast is partially made up of actual tenants of the apartment building where the movie was filmed, the actual home of the filmmakers. There's an organic quality to their interactions, a real sense of community and family that makes the central absurdity of the story feel believable.

At the heart of the film is Bunny (Mo Stark), a character who exudes an oddball charisma that makes him instantly likable. There's something magnetic about the way Stark plays him, as if he's both completely in over his head and also entirely at ease and in command of the chaos surrounding him. The movie never takes itself too seriously, never losing its emotional core even as the characters make increasingly ridiculous (but always amusing) choices.

Writer-director Ben Jacobson (who also plays Dino) takes an approach that's both bold and intimate. The handheld camerawork adds to the frenetic energy, moving up and down stairwells, weaving in and out of cramped apartments, and constantly shifting perspectives. The film never lingers in one place for too long. It's a fairly large cast, yet every character is distinct, each with their own quirks and idiosyncrasies that make them memorable. It's rare to find a film with this many characters where none of them feel like filler.

It's a single location setting - a small, somewhat gritty apartment building in New York. The film is, in many ways, a love letter to the city, capturing the kind of found families that can form among neighbors in close quarters. There's a rawness to it, but also a deep affection. You get the sense that Jacobson and Stark know and love this space intimately, that they're capturing something real about the way people connect in a place like this.

Beyond its humor and heart, Bunny does have a thrilling undercurrent, driven by the central dilemma of what to do with the body. While the stakes are never played as deadly serious, there's still an element of tension that keeps driving the story forward. Watching the characters scramble to figure out a plan, and seeing how their own personalities and relationships influence their actions is delightful.

I get so happy experiencing art made with such passion. After the screening, I had the chance to speak with Jacobson and Stark, and their enthusiasm was infectious. Seeing how excited they were to have their small indie film premiere at a major festival was a reminder of why I love movies in the first place. Big-budget Hollywood productions rarely carry this kind of raw energy and personal investment. This wasn't a film made to fit neatly into a marketing plan or to chase box office numbers; it was made because the people behind it had to make it. That passion radiates off the screen.

It's also worth noting how universally well Bunny was received. Everyone I spoke to after the screening was buzzing about it. It's the kind of film that makes me feel like I need to immediately text my friends about. There was no other film I watched at SxSW that gave me the kind of pure, unexpected delight that this one did.

At just ninety minutes, Bunny moves at a frenetic pace and never lets up. I could have spent another thirty minutes with these characters. There's a warmth to it, and an energy that's infectious. It's chaotic and comforting, both wild and human.

Bunny will be on my list of the best films of 2025. I can't wait to see it again, and I can't wait for more people to fall in love with these unforgettable characters.