Bunnylovr
{{Short description|American drama film}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Bunnylovr
| image =
| caption =
| director = Katarina Zhu
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Tristan Scott-Behrends
- Ani Schroeter
- Rhianon Jones
- Roger Mancusi
- Rachel Sennott
}}
| screenplay = Katarina Zhu
| based_on =
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Katarina Zhu
- Rachel Sennott
- Austin Amelio
- Perry Yung
- Jack Kilmer
}}
| music =
| cinematography = Daisy Zhou
| editing = Stephania Dulowski
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
- Neon Heart Productions
- Fair Oaks Entertainment
- Radish
- RNA Films
- Phiphen Studios
}}
| distributor =
| released = {{Film date|2025|1|25|Sundance}}
| runtime = 86 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
}}
Bunnylovr is a 2025 American drama film written, directed and starring Katarina Zhu. The film follows a Chinese-American cam girl who navigates a toxic client relationship while reconnecting with her dying father.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2025, where it received mixed reviews from critics.
Premise
A drifting Chinese American cam girl struggles to navigate an increasingly toxic relationship with one of her clients while rekindling her relationship with her dying estranged father.{{Cite web |title=Program Guide {{!}} 2025 Sundance Film Festival |url=https://festival.sundance.org/program/film/6753249168b8b7af55fe3a60 |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=festival.sundance.org}}
Cast
- Katarina Zhu as Rebecca
- Austin Amelio as John, Rebecca's client
- Perry Yung as William, Rebecca's terminally ill father
- Rachel Sennott as Bella, an artist and Rebecca's friend
- Jack Kilmer as Carter, Rebecca's ex-boyfriend
- Clara Wong as Dr. Karas
Production
In October 2024, it was announced that filming wrapped in New York City.{{cite web|last=Wiseman|first=Andreas|title='Bunnylovr': Austin Amelio, Perry Yung, Rachel Sennott & Jack Kilmer Among Cast For Katarina Zhu's Feature Debut|date=October 15, 2024|website=Deadline Hollywood|url=https://deadline.com/2024/10/austin-amelio-perry-yung-rachel-sennott-jack-kilmer-bunnylovr-katarina-zhu-1236116141/|accessdate=December 11, 2024}}
Release
The film premiered on January 25, 2025, at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition.{{cite web|last2=Patten|first2=Dominic|last1=D'Alessandro|first1=Anthony|title=Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings|date=December 11, 2024|website=Deadline Hollywood|url=https://deadline.com/2024/12/sundance-film-festival-lineup-2025-movies-1236200107/|accessdate=December 11, 2024}}
Reception
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|55|5.2|22|ref=yes|access-date=March 6, 2025}} {{Metacritic film prose|53|7|ref=yes|access-date=February 10, 2025}}
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Bunnylovr{{'}}s strengths are in its engaging character study of a languid young woman who came of age online. It's not a novel portrait, but Zhu makes it wholly her own. We watch Becca, a Chinese-American woman, float from one interaction to the next, eliding the intimacy of being present."{{Cite web |last=Gyarkye |first=Lovia |date=2025-01-26 |title='Bunnylovr' Review: A Camgirl Struggles to Connect in a Feature Debut That's Delicate to a Fault |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bunnylovr-review-1236117919/ |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} Katie Rife of IndieWire graded the film a B-.{{cite web|last=Rife|first=Katie|title='Bunnylovr' Review: An Empathetic but Aimless NYC Indie About an Alienated Camgirl|date=January 26, 2025|website=IndieWire|url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/bunnylovr-review-katarina-zhu-1235088356/|accessdate=January 26, 2025}}
Chase Hutchinson of TheWrap wrote, "It’s a flawed debut feature — there is a fundamental distance between us and the film's main character — but Zhu shows immense promise."{{cite web|last=Hutchinson|first=Chase|title='Bunnylovr' Review: Director/Star Katarina Zhu Does It All in Cam Girl Film|date=January 25, 2025|website=TheWrap|url=https://www.thewrap.com/bunnylovr-review-rachel-sennott/|accessdate=January 26, 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}