The Justice of Bunny King is a New Zealand film directed by Gaysorn Thavat and starring Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie. The film was Thavat's feature directorial debut.[3] It premiered on 29 July 2021.[1]
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The Justice of Bunny King | |
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Directed by | Gaysorn Thavat[1] |
Written by | Sophie Henderson[2] |
Produced by | Emma Slade[2] |
Starring | Essie Davis[1] Thomasin McKenzie[1] |
Distributed by | Madman Entertainment[2] Protagonist Pictures[2] |
Release date |
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Running time | 101 minutes[1] |
Country | New Zealand[1] |
Language | English |
Principal photography occurred in New Zealand in September 2019.[4]
The Justice of Bunny King premiered on 29 July 2021.[1] The film was distributed in New Zealand by Madmen Entertainment.[2] It was also screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, and the Melbourne International Film Festival.[2]
Stuff's reviewer Graeme Tuckett awarded The Justice of Bunny King four and a half stars, describing it as "an angry, funny and deeply loveable gem of a movie." He praised Essie Davis' performance as the protagonist Bunny King and the work of director Gaysorn Thavat. Tuckett also credited the film for shedding light on the impersonality of New Zealand social services and the growing inequality between home owners and renters.[1]
Newshub's reviewer Kate Rodger awarded the film five stars; praising Thavat's direction of the film, script writer Sophie Henderson's scriptwriting, and the cinematography of Ginny Loane and Cushla Dillon. She also praised the film for focusing on the "little-seen lives of women and families living with trauma, desperation and powerlessness and she's amazing."[5]
The Spinoff's reviewer Rachel Kerr described The Justice of Bunny King as following in the tradition of British film-maker Ken Loach's I, Daniel Blake and popular New Zealand films such as Goodbye Pork Pie. Kerr also praised Davis' performance as Bunny, focusing on her ability to convey a range of emotions. She also described Thomasin McKenzie's performance as Bunny's abused niece Tonyah as "restrained and authentic, a subdued presence off-setting Bunny." Kerr also praised Loane's cinematography for conveying emotions and scriptwriter Henderson for combining elements of both social realism and the caper film genre.[6]
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