{"id":15513,"date":"2023-07-20T10:15:36","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T14:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/areathirtythree.com\/blog\/?p=15513"},"modified":"2026-01-01T22:24:57","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T03:24:57","slug":"lepus-the-malice-of-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/areathirtythree.com\/blog\/lepus-the-malice-of-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Lepus – The Malice of the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

RUN RABBIT RUN – directed by Daina Reid – (limited spoilers) ⁓<\/h4>\n
\"Sarah<\/a>

Dr. Sarah Gregory<\/b><\/p><\/div>\n

On her daughter Mia’s seventh birthday, a white rabbit appears in Sarah’s yard. Mia<\/strong> (Lily LaTorre<\/a>), whose name means “lunar cycle” in the Noongar<\/i><\/a> language, assumes it’s a birthday present, and she’s likely right about that although just who sent the animal is a mystery. Mia’s father Pete<\/strong> (Damon Herriman<\/a>), his new wife Denise<\/strong> (Naomi Rukavina<\/a>), and her son Toby<\/strong> (Hugo Soysa<\/i>) arrive for a small celebration. Denise is a social worker who has just gotten a new and more interesting job. Pete confides to a surprised Sarah that he and Denise are “trying for a baby”. Toby hits Mia for no particular reason, and when told not to do that, promptly does it again.<\/p>\n

\"Hugo<\/a>

Toby<\/b> (Hugo Soysa) and Mia<\/b> (Lily LaTorre) with the rabbit. — LaTorre is also Asha<\/b> in Elise McCredie<\/a> & Matt Cameron<\/a>‘s crime thriller THE CLEARING<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sarah<\/strong> (Sarah Snook<\/a>), a reproductive endocrinologist, wants to get rid of the rabbit, and encourages it to leave the yard. When it refuses, she tries to lift it over the fence, but the bunny bites her hand, and the wound becomes infected. Since she treats the injury herself, others see the bandage, but only Sarah sees the actual wound. One initially suspects that Sarah might be imagining the rabbit, but Pete also sees the animal and encourages Sarah to let Mia keep it. <\/p>\n

Sarah’s sister Alice<\/i> disappeared when she was Mia’s age and was never found. That trauma caused Sarah and her father Albert<\/strong> (Neil Melville<\/a>) to “move to the city”. Albert died recently, and his things are in boxes in Sarah’s garage. Sarah’s mother Joan<\/strong> (Greta Scacchi<\/a>), who did not move to the city, resides in a nursing home. <\/p>\n

\"Trevor<\/a>

Sandy McLennan<\/b> (Trevor Jamieson<\/a>) tells Sarah about her mother’s dementia diagnosis<\/p><\/div>\n

After the rabbit’s arrival, Mia begins to behave oddly. She makes a mask from pink paper and insists upon wearing it to school. Next she claims that a picture of Alice is actually a picture of her, and throws a tantrum, insisting she wants to see her grandmother (whom she has never met). On the way to see Joan the next day, Mia has a nosebleed, and a bird collides with Sarah’s car. (There is no evidence of a wounded bird when Sarah stops to look for it, and Mia says she heard no impact.) <\/p>\n

At the nursing home, Sarah is informed that her mother has dementia, and Joan, who has difficulty recognizing anyone, seems very certain that Mia as her missing daughter Alice. We learn that Joan blames Sarah for Alice’s disappearance, because Sarah was taking care of her sister at the time, and that Alice liked animals, including rabbits. <\/p>\n

Alice’s father regarded wild rabbits as pests, and made a point of killing them. Sarah’s affectionate nickname for Mia is “bunny”. <\/p>\n

\"Sarah<\/a>

Sarah<\/strong> stops to search for a wounded bird<\/p><\/div>\n

Sarah decides to put her childhood home up for sale. The place is not far away on the banks of the Murray River<\/i><\/a>, so Sarah and Mia go there to clear up Joan’s things. On the way, Mia\/Alice tells her mother\/sister that “grandpa said he would come back as a pelican”<\/em> and further explains “it was our little secret. He said he wanted to keep an eye on you.”<\/em> As she says this, a single pelican is seen flying above the car.<\/p>\n

Hannah Kent<\/a>, who wrote the screenplay, told Tatiana Hullander of Screen Rant<\/a>: “It’s set in South Australia, where I was born and raised. The specific place where we shot a lot of those outside scenes, once Sarah and Mia got up to see Joan, has those cliffs there that are iconic. My parents grew up in the area, known as the Riverland, and I have these wonderful associations with it. It’s so beautiful, and when we were thinking about a location, we were thinking about what it means to return home The cliffs were just always there; we always knew they were going to be part of the narrative. They lend such a superb aura.”<\/em> She goes on to say that the cliffs are a “character in their own right”<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Lily<\/a>

At the beach, Mia<\/strong> explains that she isn\u2019t sure she\u2019s herself anymore.<\/p><\/div>\n

The apparent reincarnation of Alice coincides (however improbably) with several things: the death of Alice’s father; Mia’s seventh birthday; the arrival of a white rabbit; Joan’s onset of dementia; and the decision of Pete and Denise to have a child. Snook’s layered portrayal of Dr. Granger makes one conjure up all sorts of alternative realities that might apply to the story, and it is never quite clear just how much (if any) of what Sarah sees is imaginary. The film gives us no reason to disbelieve Mia when she says Alice is inhabiting her body, but one must entertain the possibility that Alice somehow survived whatever happened in 1996, grew up, had a child, and returned home secretly to elaborately torment her sister. <\/p>\n

\n

RUN RABBIT RUN can be streamed on Netflix<\/a>, and is available on DVD<\/a> (region 4)<\/center><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RUN RABBIT RUN – directed by Daina Reid – (limited spoilers) ⁓ On her daughter Mia’s seventh birthday, a white rabbit appears in Sarah’s yard. Mia (Lily LaTorre), whose name means “lunar cycle” in the Noongar language, assumes it’s a …<\/span> <\/p>\n

+<\/p>\n

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