Dust Bunny - Review: Bryan Fuller's Twisted Little Bedtime Story

 

If the name Bryan Fuller (“Pushing Daisies,” Hannibal”) means anything to you, it’ll likely be thanks to his years of television work. From creating some of the most imaginative series to the tensest series of the past twenty-five years of TV, his pedigree is long and weird. Now, after decades of work on the small screen, he’s finally getting the opportunity to bring his sense of macabre whimsy to the big screen with a tale befitting of his interests.

“Dust Bunny” follows eight-year-old Aurora, played by Sophie Sloan (“The Chemistry of Death”), whose parents keep mysteriously disappearing in the middle of the night. Hoping to prevent the issue further, she enlists in the help of her next-door neighbor, a man known simply as her concerned neighbor played by Mads Mikkelsen (“Casino Royale,” “Hannibal”), to kill the source of her parents' disappearances: the people eating monster living beneath her bed.

Anyone remotely familiar with Fuller’s previous works should be right at home here in this fairy tale-esque world of macabre wonder. While locations are few, each make a specific impression upon their first appearance. While mostly shot at night, the pops of color are vibrant and fantastic, setting a distinct visual identity for this childhood horror. Cinematographer Nicole Hirsch Whitaker (“One Piece (2023),” “Lioness”) plays with various viewing angles and camera perspectives with a massively wide 3:1 aspect ratio to craft something that, if nothing else, is unlike most films being made nowadays. Backing up this slight-cartoonified adventure is an excellent musical score from composer Isabella Summers (“Lisa Frankenstein,” “Little Fires Everywhere”) that further fleshes out the world; numerous moments have various sound effects activating in time with the music, blending into the score to create an effect similar to the “Merrie Melodies” Looney Tunes cartoons from back in the day.

Given her young age, Sloan’s performance is excellent, and her chemistry alongside Mikkelsen is really fun. They have a distinct “father daughter” vibe to their relationship, and its as if Fuller is pulling from fairy tale stories as well as the likes of films like “Leon: The Professional” or “True Grit.” Mikkelsen’s performance is only slightly less impressive, simply because he’s proven that he can sleepwalk his way through a role like this. It doesn’t rebuke how good he is, but rather his is a more expected quality. The supporting cast has quite a few character actors hamming it up in the best ways; Sigourney Weaver (“Alien,” “Avatar”) pops up as the concerned neighbor’s handler Laverne, David Dastmalchian (“The Suicide Squad,” “Late Night with the Devil”) as an assassin leader targeting the concerned neighbor, and Sheila Atim (“The Woman King,” “The Underground Railroad (2021)”) as Brenda, a child protective services agent looking after Aurora. Weaver is the one who seems to be phoning it in the most, with Atim and Dastmalchian giving just the right degree of half-cartoonish delivery that amps up a world and tale like this.

The sets and production design look fantastic, digging into the gothic, bedtime story kind of vibe that Fuller wants to evoke. The film shares tonal similarities with family horror-fantasy flicks from the 1980s, like “Gremlins” and the slight touches of this whimsy in the environment help build on this. Some scenes have the trees and leaves on the wallpaper in Aurora’s apartment blowing in an unheard breeze, as she pushes herself on a giant metal wheeled hippo as she refuses to touch the floor. The action is similarly stylized, with bright colors and camera flourishes abound. One moment has the concerned neighbor getting knocked through a skylight before falling back into the house via the next skylight over. The practical effects also blend seamlessly with the production design, which makes the handful of digital effects stand out like a sore thumb. While not terrible, it's clear that those are where the budget began to run out, and it shows. Fuller still tries to use them sparingly and hide them with other actors and physical props, but when they do appear in full view, they make the wrong kind of impact.

For those who know exactly what they’re getting themselves into with a Bryan Fuller work, “Dust Bunny” will likely be a highlight of the year. For those unfamiliar with his specific style and worlds, it’ll require quite a bit of suspension of disbelief. However, regardless of which camp you’re in, this is an undeniably unique and stylish film that makes great use of its premise, even as its ambitions seem to outweigh its own budget at times. You’re in safe hands with Fuller, Mikkelsen, and Sloan as they take you on this silly, fantastical, twisted little bedtime story. 4/5