A tough yet poignant film, Gaysorn Thavat’s The Justice of Bunny King is the story of a New Zealand mother who battles the country’s social services bureaucracy to regain custody of her children. Bunny (Essie Davis), a funny, resourceful woman who refuses to be beaten down by the system, is the film’s motor—charming and scheming her way through various obstacles, all to fulfill her promise to celebrate her young daughter’s upcoming birthday.

We first see Bunny energetically cleaning windshields in a parking lot for cash with a posse of fellow squeegee operators. Gradually, we learn of her difficult situation, beginning with a visit to a social services office, where she is reminded that in order to get her children out of foster care—or to spend time with them at all—she needs to have a home. Unfortunately, she’s currently living with her sister’s family during a severe housing shortage.

Things get worse when Bunny witnesses a disturbing scene involving her teenaged niece Tonyah (Thomasin McKenzie) and the former is subsequently kicked out of her brother-in-law’s house. As Bunny faces and is defeated by one hurdle after another, with Tonyah as accomplice, she becomes even more determined, and the film spirals into a suspenseful race against time as the stakes get ever higher. Thanks to Sophie Henderson’s script, and Thavat’s pacing and tone, we’re never quite sure what will happen next, while Davis’s terrific performance guarantees that we stay riveted to Bunny’s plight.

Though dark, The Justice of Bunny King — like its protagonist—never loses heart. It’s an impressive debut feature that deserves a wide audience.

The Justice of Bunny King opens in theaters on Friday, September 23, and is available on VOD platforms on Sept. 30.

Also opening on September 23 is DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, located in a landmarked Chinatown firehouse building. Founded in 1972, DCTV has grown into one of the country’s leading documentary production and film education centers. The center’s Cinema for Documentary Film is a place for both filmmakers and film lovers, with a program of first-run, curated repertory; masterclasses; family programs and more. Opening at the Firehouse in the next few weeks are:

• Abigail Disney and Kathleen Hughes’ The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales (Sept. 23 – 29), a personal essay documentary in which Disney grapples with America’s profound inequality crisis, after encountering workers at the company that bears her name struggling to put food on the table.

• Reid Davenport’s I Didn’t See You There (Sept. 30 – Oct. 6), in which the visibly disabled Davenport illustrates how he sees the world, forcing the viewer to confront the spectacle and invisibility of disability.

• Nina Menkes’ Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power (Oct. 20 – 27), which explores the sexual politics of cinematic shot design, using clips from hundreds of movies we all know and love – from Metropolis to Vertigo to Phantom Thread.

For additional info about these films and other events, visit: www.dctvny.org/s/firehousecinema 

—Marina Zogbi