Lionsgate
Coming to theatres Dec 12th
Most fans of Bryan Fuller’s work will name Hannibal or Pushing Daisies as his defining projects, but for me, his voice was forged back when he got full credit for scripts for Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space Nine. In Dust Bunny, his feature debut, he leans into an Art déco sensibility that flirts with Wes Anderson staging while brushing up against Tim Burton’s sense of humour. It’s an odd blend, but I’m enjoying the experiment. That’s because his ideas have always balanced a dark, moral edge with a certain playfulness.
As the title suggests, there’s a monster in the mix. Young Aurora (Sophie Sloan) believes it ate her foster parents. Alone for a few days, she’s not sure what to do. But once she musters the courage to ask for help, the only person she can turn to is Resident 5B (Mads Mikkelsen). He’s the perfect “freaky neighbour,” a type Mikkelsen slides into with alarming ease. Together, this unlikely duo might be the only hope the apartment has for stopping whatever’s lurking under the beds before it decides to snack on more tenants.