The Bunny Game – 2010 – This is for real!
The Bunny Game is something seldom seen, it’s real!
Bunny is constantly high on cocaine. She blows guys for cash and is always on the lookout for another John to finance her bad habits. She does whatever needs to be done for the money and does certainly not limit herself to blowjobs. Some Johns are very violent but she’s learned to live with it. At least up until now… A trucker kidnaps her and strings her up in the back of the truck. He spends the next few days making her wish she’s never been born! This is just the beginning of the Bunny Game!
As long as I can remember there have been rumors about snuff – movies that claim to be the real deal – where the deaths are for real – but nobody has ever been able to prove the existence of these extreme films. Now, for the first time, we have a movie that’s claimed to be effect-free. That is to say that everything you see is happening for real! It’s a good way of selling in this picture don’t you think?
Provoking
The Bunny Game is a really provoking film, there’s no doubt about that! There are some scenes that stick to you like glue, but as a whole, I imagined it to be crueler than it really was. I mean, there’s a lot of terror in it and Bunnys screaming for help is very trustworthy but there isn’t very much true torture in it (thank God!). There are a few scenes with branding and some other stuff but that’s about it when it comes to disfigurement. It’s still disturbing to watch but the picture I painted before me didn’t quite come true! I guess that might say more about me than the movie makers.
But even if the physical torments aren’t faked that’s not the movie’s strongest aspect. You can only torture for so long, but the terror of the victims’ helplessness and the sadism of the truck driver are what is really bothersome. There is absolutely no escape and you feel it the entire time. But even before that, the feel of the picture is very raw. It doesn’t take too long to realize that Bunny lives a very sad life. She’s miserable and needs the cocaine to stay on top of things.
And later, when the truck driver comes into the picture, it’s obvious that he’s tormented by his inner demons too! Come to think of it, there is so much anxiety and angst in this flick that Ingmar Bergman would be jealous! Everybody in this flick is a victim; there are no winners – only losers. And what does that say about us viewers? Are we losers too that are tricked into seeing this violent movie just because there are no special effects? Nobody would raise an eyebrow otherwise!
Black and White
The picture is in beautiful black and white. I don’t think it would have been as good in color, this takes it to another level. It isn’t told in the easiest way and the plot isn’t always linear. The actors, at least the main two characters, are absolutely believable, and so on. But the main thing that really gets to me after I’ve seen this is a question about what’s coming next. This movie has taken a notch in the evolution of cinema and I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with that. As a gorehound, I’m not necessarily interested in seeing real people getting hurt. It’s not entertaining anymore, it becomes wicked and I hope that there’s never a movie like this again.
Having that said I realize that the whole point of making the movie this way is an eye-opener. Apparently, Rodleen Getsic, who plays the part of Bunny, made this as a therapeutic step in recovering from similar experiences and if that works it’s okay I guess. But it’s still a challenge to see and to comprehend. Maybe the next step really is producing true snuff?
