Brian Fuller has always created unique TV shows, from PUSHING DAISIES to HANNIBAL. I usually check out anything he works on right away. But with DUST BUNNY, I’m glad I waited to watch his first feature film at home.
It’s rare to see movies this strange. DUST BUNNY is polarizing because it breaks conventional norms in the way it structures its story. The first twenty-five minutes of this action-horror-fantasy film are nearly completely silent. It’s an odd world to be thrust into without any explanation, yet once you get through that opening, you are treated to a scene with the Intriguing Neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) and Aurora (Sophie Sloan). That scene works so well because the dialogue is the first the audience hears in the film, making their, for lack of a better word, “meet-cute” all the more powerful.
Brian Fuller leans heavily into the styling of Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. For those who remember, they made the classics – THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN and DELICATESSEN. That visual style isn’t for everyone, yet when it works, DUST BUNNY becomes the ultimate version of the floor-is-lava game (after you see it, this will make more sense).
Final Thought: DUST BUNNY is a film I won’t revisit. I’m glad that I watched it and have the two lead performances in my head, along with the visuals. Yet, outside of those two elements – I’m good at keeping my dust bunnies in the more rewatchable MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO.
DUST BUNNY is available on HBO Max.
