"Bunny Rabbit" and "The Day of the Dolphin" [Chattanooga Film Festival Reviews]
The Chattanooga Film Festival programs movies both old and new. Here’s a look at one of each that I screened during the 2026 edition.
Bunny Rabbit - This Australian thriller made its international and U.S. debut at CFF this year. It’s the story of a young woman, Bunny (Kate Wilson), living with her father (Andy Colledge) in a post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce. As one character puts it, there are hardly even any bugs left to eat. This dire state has turned the few remaining citizens into cutthroat hunters. Bunny has learned how to do what she needs to survive, a skill that’s put to the test when an Intruder (Ôntrei) makes his way into her shack.
Writer/director James Branson makes a striking debut with Bunny Rabbit. There are several truly shocking scenes of violence scattered throughout the story, but he surrounds them with more philosophical moments. Using the thriller form, Branson explores the theme of young people growing up in a world that has seen its idealism and prosperity ripped away, so that all they know is total desperation. The interactions between Bunny and the Intruder are particularly fascinating, as he’s openly violent, whereas she holds her nihilism in check until absolutely necessary. Driven by Kate Wilson’s quietly intense performance, this is a movie that metaphorically kicks you in the teeth.
The Day of the Dolphin - One of this year’s secret Redeye screenings was this hard-to-find 1973 curiosity. George C. Scott plays a marine biologist training dolphins to understand and speak English. He does this from his secret facility. Sinister forces have gotten wind of his ability to train the mammals, and an attempt is made to steal them so they can carry out a water-based assassination of the President of the United States. You read that correctly.
The weird thing about The Day of the Dolphin is that the plot is absolutely ludicrous, yet the movie plays it seriously. The screenplay was written by Buck Henry and directed by Oscar winner Mike Nichols. You’d think they might treat the material as satire, but they don’t. Everything is played as a straight thriller. One has to wonder what these Hollywood luminaries were possibly thinking. Nonetheless, Scott gives a committed performance – not easy when many of his scenes require him to have conversations with talking dolphins. The movie’s oddball concept has given it a certain reputation over the years. I wouldn’t exactly call it a good movie, although it’s such a bizarre piece of cinema that taking your eyes off it is impossible.
© 2026 Mike McGranaghan