Essie Davis and Thomasin McKenzie star in The Justice of Bunny King, in cinemas now.
Australian actor Essie Davis (The Babadook) and rising Kiwi star Thomasin McKenzie anchor this empathetic New Zealand drama.
Davis plays the title character, who earns money cleaning windscreens at an intersection. Having previously spent time in jail, Bunny is trying to get her life together enough so she can regain
custody of her children, currently in foster care.
Bunny lives with her sister's family, sleeping on the couch in exchange for helping out with child care and cooking. The biggest hindrance to Bunny getting her kids back is the lack of proper place to live, which allows the film to speak directly to New Zealand's housing crisis.
When Bunny discovers that her teenage niece Tonyah (McKenzie) is being abused by her sister's husband, she instinctively gets Tonyah out of harm's way, and the pair set themselves up in an empty apartment, a short-term solution that gives way to further problems.
Director Gayson Thavat (also credited with the story) and screenwriter Sophie Henderson (Baby Done) appear to be taking inspiration from the working-class social advocacy movies by acclaimed English filmmaker Ken Loach.
