After decades of creating masterful television with pushing daisies, Dead like meAnd forever desired HannibalIt was only a matter of time before Bryan Fuller took his ideas from the television screen to the silver screen. Fuller's previous work is prestigious for a reason: he is able to delight and horrify his audience in equal measure, often shining a light on our desires and fears, turning them into something fantastical that still seems too close for comfort. So it's no surprise that his feature directorial debut Dusty Bunnysuccessfully conveys the same feeling with the glee of Hannibal Lecter feeding a man with his own leg.
The story begins in a New York City apartment building, where 8-year-old Aurora (Sophie Sloane) hires her killer neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen in the highly publicized film). Hannibal reunion) to kill the monster living under her bed. As expected, the killer (in the credits noted “Intriguing Neighbor”) is not too enthusiastic about the task and does not believe Aurora’s tall tales. He has bigger problems of his own: his work has given him a greater purpose.
The collision of the mundane and the fantastic is what Fuller does best – and just like in pushing daisies And Hannibalhere he gives that dissonance a stylish twist. Whether watching Mikkelsen walk down a dingy alley with blue, red and green fireworks lighting up the sky like a mosaic, or watching the killer hiding behind the floral gray wallpaper of Aurora's apartment, Fuller fans will see his fingerprints all over him.
The biggest plus is the food. Hannibal fans know that Fuller likes to make food look like art before punctuating it with something disturbing. He does it again in Dusty Bunny. At one point, Mikkelsen's killer and Aurora bury a rabbit-shaped dumpling with seaweed eyes. However, when the killer bites him, he squirms as if alive. In another scene, Mikkelsen is offered a sandwich that looks like a normal sandwich, but from another angle it resembles ribbons of flesh twisted together. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but it's so visually distinct that you'll end up imprinting it on the back of your eyelids anyway.
Fuller has said his goal The goal of the project was to create “a children's film that people would enjoy watching with their children.” It's a shame that this film is rated R, a classification that seems unwarranted given the lack of blood, language and violence. Dusty Bunny looks like a horror tale ripped straight out of a Brothers Grimm book.
Even the characters' names reflect these fairy-tale elements. Aurora shares the main character's name 1959 Disney film. sleeping Beautyand most other symbols have signifiers rather than names. For example, David Dastmalchian and Rebecca Henderson's characters are known only as “The Expressively Inconspicuous Man” and “The Intimidating Woman.” Through Aurora's eyes, we see these characters as caricatures rather than people. This breadth makes them feel foreboding and ominous, showing how Aurora sees the tangible but barely understood threats of the adult world. However, they are still less dangerous than the terrifying monster under her bed.
But for now Dusty Bunny reduces the amount of blood and guts, which would be expected from Fuller, who used so much fake blood on Hannibal that Mold started growing on the setFuller hasn't softened his razor-sharp edges either. He enjoys subverting audience expectations, and although his script leans heavily on children's horror, Dusty Bunny makes an incredibly mundane thing—a literal dust bunny under Aurora's bed—feel like a loaded gun.
But the biggest subversion comes from the relationship between Mikkelsen's hitman and Aurora. Mikkelsen is known for playing villains, including Hannibal Lecter in Fuller's film. Hannibal row. But where is his Lecter – a calculating predator whose faith in the miraculous and the crazy takes him to places where no man would go without a weapon, Dusty Bunny a killer is a different animal. He is rough and deadly, but with a soft and quirky side. He calls himself a monster, but Aurora reflects his own childhood fears and innocence. There is a loneliness, a sense of neglect, that at times makes it seem like the precocious and serious Aurora is the parent in their relationship. It's the right amount of sweet and uncomfortable.
Dusty Bunny may not quite scratch the manic itch that Fuller's previous kaleidoscope of horror-comedy films scratched, largely because it's much more kid-friendly. Despite the R rating, Fuller's vision is relatively Dusty Bunny for children who feel like outsiders. Dusty Bunny speaks to your inner child, but at the same time is a not-so-gentle reminder that your fears are as strong as you imagine them to be. This is a visually and thematically excellent horror tale that Fuller fans will enjoy.
Dusty Bunny debuted in theaters on December 12.
