Sarah (Sarah Snooke, of succession) does not know what is happening with his daughter Mine (Lily Latorre). The girl, who has just turned seven, begins to behave erratically and sinisterly after finding a white rabbit in front of the house where she lives with her mother. Gradually, what appears to be emotional, impulsive behavior begins to reveal something more serious. But run away rabbit run away He doesn’t immediately give clues as to where the little girl’s fear, nightmares, and slow transformation are leading. Is it something supernatural? Maybe a psychiatric disorder?
The argument of run away rabbit run away, available on Netflix, is not new. But the movie tries to reinvigorate it through dodgy narrators. On the one hand, Sarah is unable to understand what is happening around him and why Mine it becomes an increasingly disturbing presence.
On the other, the girl appears as a mysterious creature, her face covered by a paper mask and her new pet in her arms. The narration suggests that one of the two is lying, that what is shown is not entirely true. What is the real problem in this seemingly dense and dark drama? Is it about a mother hurt and crushed by a major trauma that she has carried over from childhood? Or a daughter terrified by Sarah’s erratic behavior?
run away rabbit run away
The Netflix movie is based on confusion. When Sarah’s daughter (Sarah Snooke) begins to behave inexplicably, her mother tries to understand why. But what seems like a reaction to the loneliness that surrounds them or a psychiatric disorder, soon reveals itself as something more sinister. Especially when the script suggests that the main mystery has to do with Sarah’s past. The idea, which is based on a leisurely pace and a visual section full of games of light and shadow, could be effective if he spent more time on her characters. But both protagonists are just an excuse to hint at a horror story that is never fully shown.
In search of the truth
The story of run away rabbit run away it remains on ground where it is difficult to come to a conclusion. Mine begins to insist that his name is Alice, missing sister of the protagonist. She does it softly and almost accidentally, but also loudly in the middle of the night. Does she suffer from some kind of psychiatric disorder? Hannah Kent’s script leaves false clues that turn the plot into a complicated puzzle. Especially when the story is unable to link all the ideas that it leaves behind and that apparently point to something more serious.
Slowly, the story explores the disappearance of Alice from small pieces of jumbled information. Sarah refuses to explain what happened in her childhood and has been forgotten by her mother because of dementia. But Mine points to photographs in which she recognizes herself as Alice and he is enraged at being unable to express that something is happening in his mind. run away rabbit run away delves into a plot that strives to be tricky and leave room for the imagination.
A mystery that cannot be achieved
But the argument of run away rabbit run away it lacks sufficient strength to succeed in such an experiment. Even more so when that implies relying almost exclusively on superficial dialogues without any double interpretation. As the director builds a sense of dense threat around her characters, the plot loses impact. Especially when she, despite trying to try to be mysterious or cryptic, has no choice but to give obvious clues as to what may be going on.
images of cementers Mine look carefully and they make her ask about the possibility of life after death. Photo albums in which the images of the enigmatic Alice They disappear without explanation. the narration of run away rabbit run away it drives its central idea so clumsily as to be obvious in its first half.
run away rabbit run away lacks interest
Much of the film attempts to convey the tension through moments of no sound other than creaking wood or labored breathing. Meanwhile, the camera shows static close-ups of rooms and corridors. Without a doubt, the cinematographic section tries to express an increasingly claustrophobic type of atmosphere. Especially as the story makes it clear that the tale deals with secrets held in inaccessible places of memory.
Nevertheless, run away rabbit run away it is not very successful in building mystery around the search for answers. From its opening scenes, it’s obvious that this is a cross between a family drama and a dark thriller. But there is no narrative bridge that allows both to be shown on the same stage.
No mystery, no surprises, no terror
In fact, as the film progresses, the story lengthens unnecessarily. Between inexplicable pauses in conversations, closing doors and the restlessness of a secret, nothing is clear. Something that the director of photography, Bonnie Elliott, accentuates with dim lighting and the perception that the exterior spaces dwarf the central figures of her. But, instead of elaborating a perception about restlessness, anguish or affliction -also central themes-, the story falls into stereotypes.
In its third installment, when the family secret that terrifies Sarah and? Mine embodies is evident, the plot loses all terrifying momentum. Especially when the hint of supernatural events fueled by suffering becomes the sole engine of what is shown on screen. For her final scene, run away rabbit run away it leaves behind all pretensions to surprise and settles for clumsily connecting the dots. Which ends in a confusing conclusion for a look at the inner darkness that could have been much more solid.