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.[1]
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.[2]
Release
The film premiered on January 25, 2025, at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition.[3]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.3/10.[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 53 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[5]
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."[6] Katie Rife of IndieWire graded the film a B-.[7]
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."[8]
References
- ^ "Program Guide | 2025 Sundance Film Festival". festival.sundance.org. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (October 15, 2024). "'Bunnylovr': Austin Amelio, Perry Yung, Rachel Sennott & Jack Kilmer Among Cast For Katarina Zhu's Feature Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (December 11, 2024). "Sundance 2025: JLo, Sly Stone, Putin, Ayo Edebiri, André Holland, & Ex-NZ PM Jacinda Ardern Films Among Park City Festival Offerings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- ^ "Bunnylovr". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ "Bunnylovr". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (January 26, 2025). "'Bunnylovr' Review: A Camgirl Struggles to Connect in a Feature Debut That's Delicate to a Fault". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ Rife, Katie (January 26, 2025). "'Bunnylovr' Review: An Empathetic but Aimless NYC Indie About an Alienated Camgirl". IndieWire. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
- ^ Hutchinson, Chase (January 25, 2025). "'Bunnylovr' Review: Director/Star Katarina Zhu Does It All in Cam Girl Film". TheWrap. Retrieved January 26, 2025.