Dust Bunny
10 year-old Aurora (newcomer Sophie Sloan) knows that if your feet touch her bedroom floor, the monster under her bed will eat you, but she is horrified nonetheless when she hears her parents, who humored but did not believe her, scream as that fate befalls them. Now alone, Aurora observes her Intriguing Neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen) in 5B from her fire escape and when she witnesses him take on several men costumed as a Chinese Dragon, she believes he's slain a monster and offers to hire him to do the same for her in "Dust Bunny."
Laura's Review: B
Who would have expected Bryan Fuller's follow-up to his brilliant 'Hannibal' TV series would be a feature debut about a child's fantasy that also falls into the evil bunny subgenre? Reuniting with his Hannibal Lecter, who is now a loner hitman with empathy for an orphaned child, Fuller has created a horror fantasy fairy tale with offbeat humor and whimsical production design (Jeremy Reed, "Gretel & Hansel").
A little girl cowers in her bed in a pink room with mint green accents, surrounded by somewhat disturbing looking dolls and stuffed animals as a dust mote gathers momentum, taking on the form of a bunny as it lands beneath her bed. It grows in size and threatening countenance, a foot long curved tooth protruding from beneath Aurora's bedroom floorboards like a periscope on a submarine about to surface, her bed heaving as the monster comes out.
Once Aurora's parents, who we will learn are actually foster parents, the child having wished her biological ones dead, thus summoning the monster after they applied thumb sucking medicine on her thumb, are dead and she's convinced her Intriguing Neighbor is the man to save her, Aurora attends a colorful, musical church service, surprising us by stealing the collection plate. Her neighbor will return to 5B to find a note written in crayon asking him to kill a monster under a bed along with $327.47. While he will listen patiently to Aurora, he is convinced that hitmen who came to kill him, mistakenly killed Aurora's parents instead, but when he takes their licenses to his boss, Laverne (Sigourney Weaver), to gather information, he is stunned when she orders him to kill the child because she's seen his face, an order he refuses to obey. And if at first Brenda from Child Services (Sheila Atim, "The Woman King") would appear another problem to solve, she will become an ally when the chips are down.
Mikkelsen, who first appears in a yellow track suit like Uma Thurman's "Kill Bill" counterpart, is stoic and rational as he deals with his young costar, Sloan countering him with sober rejoinders, the odd buddy pairing amusing as each refuses to discard closely held beliefs, at least until one is forced to. Costume designers Catherine Leterrier and Oliver Beriot create looks for them as unique as Reed's production design, Mikkelsen at one point donning a plaid green suit, Aurora given a two-sided blanket to hide beneath, it's underside adorned with different sized eyes. Sigourney Weaver, who always seems to be eating, is dressed to match Reed's surroundings, which include a red-hued Dim Sum restaurant with a shark tank and a Greenhouse Tea Room bursting with blooms. Reed has also constructed an elaborate cage elevator within Aurora's brownstone, its curlicued metalwork matching her headboard. Hallways are wallpapered in a manner that allows hit men to become camouflaged against its walls. Art direction delights with such objects as a hippopotamus ottoman Aurora uses to 'row' herself about, bunny-shaped dim sum whose ears wiggle when eaten and the Intriguing Neighbor's desk lamp, a chicken with a light bulb protruding from its rear like a newly laid egg about to drop.
Cinematographer Nicole Whitaker's camera floats around Aurora's room, often tilting around her bed in a 180 degree arc, steadily weaving behind her as she follows her neighbor outdoors. Fuller's screenplay, inspired by his own childhood, is droll, and sometimes odd - a running joke with Aurora correcting her neighbor's pronunciation of her name, for example, never really lands, but the film is so quirky overall, it doesn't matter much. Fuller's saved a character reveal until near film's end that changes our perspective, deepening understanding of his odd couple. The film also features David Dastmalchian as the leader of a hit squad sent to dispatch Mikkelsen and a cute post credit scene. "Dust Bunny" is a true original and a delightful one at that.
Robin's Review: B+
Eight-year old Aurora (Sophie Sloan) is convinced that there is a monster living under her bed, though she cannot convince her new foster parents. She enlists the help of a mysterious neighbor (Mads Mikkelsen), with a bribe stolen from the church collection plate, to kill the "Dust Bunny."
Everyone, me included, when a kid, knew for a fact that was a sinister monster living under the bed or in the closet that would come out a night and eat you. We had certain rituals to thwart said monster, like being tucked in tight and pulling the blanket over your head – a well-document, for kids at least, way to keep the monster at bay.
For Aurora, it is much more than her imagination, as she knows for a fact that the dust bunny under the bed ate her parents and the only way to avoid their fate is to not step on the floor. The poor girl seems destined to be plagued by the malicious creature for the rest of her life. Then, she follows her mysterious neighbor into the 'hood and sees him slay a huge dragon. She decides that he will be her champion and vanquish the beast.
So, we have a monster, a damsel in distress and a hero to save her – but things are not what they seem. Aurora's hero is not necessarily a monster killer but he is a killer working for a mysterious organization headed by his by-the-book boss, Laverne (Sigourney Weaver having fun). His past comes into play as Aurora tells him how the monster under the bed ate her mom and dad, Her fantasy and the reality of things soon cross paths,
Who would have thought that a pre-adolescent kid and a film legend would have excellent chemistry but Sloan and Mikkelsen have just that. It is fun to watch them play off each other as the monster mystery plays out. This makes "Dust Bunny" a film for kids – yeah, they may have dreams but in a good way – and adults, too. As a matter of fact, the adults may like it more.
Roadside Attractions releases "Dust Bunny" in theaters on 12/12/25.
