A grim social-realist drama from New Zealand that labors to twist its narrative right into a redemptive arc, “The Justice of Bunny King” has an unsteady tone to match its ungainly title.
Bunny (Essie Davis) is launched squeegeeing windshields for money. She has no dwelling of her personal and, for causes quickly revealed, no custody of her youngsters. Bunny, a power rule-bender, needs to pay a birthday go to to her younger daughter (Amelie Baynes) in a few weeks, however she will be able to’t safe permission from social providers till she has a home.
So the film, directed by Gaysorn Thavat, follows Bunny’s determined and more and more self-defeating efforts to discover a dwelling in time for her daughter’s birthday, or, barring that, to discover a approach to be there with presents, whether or not or not she will be able to pay for them. For a time, it looks as if “The Justice of Bunny King” will discover a approach out of poverty for Bunny, who engages in a sequence of small cons to get what she wants. (One of many much less convincing concepts in a film with many is that donning a pantsuit will instantly shift folks’s notion of her.)
Across the midway mark, Bunny hits the street with Tonyah (Thomasin McKenzie), her niece, who could also be struggling abuse at dwelling, and whose personal story helps fill within the film’s notion of Bunny as a righteous, loving protector whom the authorities merely refuse to deal with as a human being. However the movie needn’t stack the deck in Bunny’s favor — a much less noble character could be extra fascinating — or search for glimmers of hope in a narrative that has few.
The Justice of Bunny King
Not rated. Operating time: 1 hour 41 minutes. In theaters.