David O'ConnellBunny and the Bull
April 20th 2010 05:52
From an imaginative opening titles sequence, with the Ralfe Band’s catchy main theme worming its way into your consciousness, it's apparent that Paul King’s debut feature is going to come at audiences from a different angle. An oddball road movie being replayed inside the head of its central protagonist, Stephen Turnbull (Edward Hogg), Bunny and the Bull proves to be a true original, inventing a cut-and-paste alternate world that resembles a storybook springing to life.
Stephen hasn’t left his London home in over a year, turning it into a fortress of nostalgic possessions, rooms stacked floor to ceiling with boxes cataloguing every mundane element of his life, from used floss to old combs to drinking straws from a certain year. Stephen is a shut-in still mourning the discarded attentions of a former girlfriend who has cast him aside into "the friend zone". But something far more crucial has incited his obsessive-compulsive behaviour and so, adopting a storytelling methodology that exudes invention and flair, King takes us back in time to Stephen's impulsive road-trip across Europe with best friend Bunny (Simon Farnaby) - one that culminated in a tragic event - the crucial moment that sent him spiraling downwards, to a despairing retreat inside a cocoon of protective isolation.
The genius of Bunny and the Bull lies in its design with the characters interacting against a series of backdrops artificially created or using a combination of animation and still photographs. The clever switches between Stephen’s house to flashbacks of his time with Bunny are also cleverly conceived, seamlessly merging the two when stressful memories close in upon Stephen, requiring medication to banish them once more.
Whilst eating at a greasy Captain Crab restaurant in Poland the friends encounter fiery Spanish waitress Eloisa (Veronica Echegui) who’s determined to toss in the towel and return home in time for the local Fiesta. After Bunny wins a crab-eating challenge set down by the owner, the keys to the Crab-mobile are his, thus propelling the trio on their way.
The main characters are a fairly underwhelming pair, with the wimpy, weak-willed Stephen carried along by the hedonistic Bunny who, despite his selfishness, doesn’t have a mean bone in his body; he's just a clueless oaf who likes to recklessly splurge on horses or cast an eye over the ladies. When Eloisa joins them on their jaunt it spices things up a bit, adding a lightweight Penelope Cruz vibe whilst sparking jealousy that further exaggerates Stephen’s debilitating inhibitions. Despite plenty of hilarious moments – none of which top the sight of a vagrant (Julian Barratt) sucking milk from the teats of his pet ‘cow’, in fact a dachshund – the film relies more on its meticulously-crafted aesthetic to communicate its eccentric view of the world.
Though it may be lacking in terms of fresh characterisation, this irreverent but rarely crude film is an unqualified success from a stylistic viewpoint. Virtually every frame contains details that attract attention which is a credit to the imaginative powers of King, best known as the director of cult series The Mighty Boosh. In a narrative sense it may seem like any other quirky road movie but with an element of the surreal seeping into its structure, Bunny and the Bull becomes something truly worth seeing for the daring creativity that allows such sights as a fairground composed of clock innards to live and breathe.
Bunny and the Bull will be released in cinemas by Madman from this Thursday, April 22.
Watch the trailer here.
Stephen (Edward Hogg) and Bunny (Simon Farnaby)
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Matt Shea
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
No doubt a lot of people won't understand its charms Matt but even though it's fairly pedestrian in terms of pure storyline, I found it a pretty lovable little film and the visual aspect is a nice, very idiosyncratic touch. Originality absolutely never goes stray!