Growing up in an age where the world is totally online is weird. Interpersonal relationships end up being completely digital, strangers become friends and you might never know their real names, where they’re from, or even what they look like. In Bunnylovr, Katarina Zhu looks at the relationships and life of a Chinese-American camgirl living in New York City. As the director, writer, producer, and lead actor, Zhu does a hat trick in transforming a personal story into an intriguing and intimate exploration of a world that feels both foreign and familiar. Her interpretation of the digital world and the relationships we make there are unique and modern. Her approach to sex work is both non-judgemental and exists more as a vehicle for her character’s development and her story’s progress rather than the main focus. With a strong supporting cast and a nuanced script, Zhu’s feature debut is easily one of the standouts of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
What Is ‘Bunnylovr’ About?
In Bunnylovr, we follow Rebecca (Zhu), a young woman living in New York who is struggling to make ends meet. By day, she works as an assistant to a financial advisor and is an erstwhile model for her best friend, Bella (Rachel Sennott), a painter. By night, she’s a camgirl making extra pocket change doing shows and chatting with clients privately. Struggling with a recent breakup with her boyfriend (Jack Kilmer), Rebecca struggles to fill the void of her loneliness. One of her clients named John (Austin Amelio) gets her into a private cam session and ends up gifting her a white rabbit by mail.
Intrigued by John and his generosity, especially as he pairs every request with a windfall of funds, Rebecca finds herself drawn into a toxic relationship with John. At the same time, she has recently reconnected with her estranged father, William (Perry Yung), a gambler and a grifter. When tragedy strikes, Rebecca begins to distance herself from Bella and continues to be drawn to John to stave off her loneliness. As she also develops a closer bond with the bunny, Milk, we begin to see the parallels between Rebecca and her innocent and vulnerable new pet. And as her relationship sours with John, the cracks slowly show, leading to a thoughtful and optimistic conclusion.
Zhu Presents a Personal and Emotional Story in ‘Bunnylovr’
Bunnylovr feels immensely personal, but Katarina Zhu’s story presentation also felt incredibly relatable from my point-of-view as someone who grew up in the early 2000s when the internet was slowly taking over. As the internet became embedded in my life (and the people of my generation), relationships online started to feel a lot more personal while in-person connections could get more distant and awkward as everyone became connected to their screens instead of the people around them. Zhu perfectly captures the ennui of being in your mid-20s and growing up in that world, feeling aimless and alienated despite being surrounded by people.
The conversations with a faceless and nameless stranger can ultimately feel closer than those with lifelong friends. Despite the transactional nature of their relationship and how they met, Rebecca and John’s relationship echoes ones that people have all the time today. John offers her the attention and companionship she craves, and while he’s demanding, that connection lets her ignore the red flags that John puts up.
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Rebecca and her relationship with her father William also reflects Zhu’s own real-life relationship and estrangement from her own father. Specifically, Zhu’s scenes with Perry Yung are where the story comes to life. Zhu and Yung have great on-screen chemistry together as daughter and father. Filmed in Manhattan, many of Zhu and Yung’s scenes are set at Columbus Park, a familiar place for anyone who has spent time in Manhattan’s Chinatown. In these scenes, Rebecca doesn’t just feel more connected to her father, but also to her heritage as a Chinese American. The little scenes where we see William gambling and switching between Mandarin and Cantonese as he plays Mahjong or when he’s chatting with Rebecca at a Chinese bakery feel emblematic of William and Rebecca’s lives as Chinese Americans. Zhu is not overt with it, but this part of Rebecca’s identity is clearly present and as she heals from trauma and shock, it’s that aspect of her life that ultimately helps to restore her.
‘Bunnylovr’s Strongest Scenes Come From On-Screen Chemistry With Her Co-Stars
While watching Bunnylovr, It’s hard to believe that this is not only Katarina Zhu’s first feature debut but her first feature script and major acting role. As a creative, it’s clear that not only does Zhu have a very clear vision for this story, but there’s a comfort in the way she tells this complicated tale. There are a lot of moving parts in Rebecca’s life. From her reconciliation with her dad to her changing friendship with Bella to her developing relationship with John as a camgirl, multiple strands need to be braided together and by the end of the film, we have a very complete image of Rebecca. It’s not an easy task but it’s a rewarding one.
As a screenwriter, much of what we get from Rebecca comes either from her introspective time alone or her talks with John. In both respects, digging deeper is necessary to interpret the true meaning behind what is happening. Zhu’s layered dialogue and performance offer depth to scenes that might appear simple at first. In her scenes across Amelio’s John, not only is the camera cleverly placed, but the physicality of Zhu’s performance and her facial reactions to John’s requests speaks volumes. Similarly, the chemistry Zhu has in her scenes with Perry Yung make it clear that these two people are not only familiar with each other but have a lot of baggage between them.
The most comfortable Zhu appears is when she’s acting across her real-life best friend Rachel Sennott. However, on-screen, the relationship is the one that needs a bit more meat, considering the emotional impact Bella has on Rebecca’s life throughout the film. It feels like there is one scene missing between the two to bridge the gap from their relationship at the beginning to the one at the end. In comparison to her strong scenes with Amelio and Yung, Zhu and Sennott could do with more interactions, and mining their close friendship could have done more to develop that bond.
‘Bunnylovr’ Proves That Katarina Zhu Is One To Watch
As far as debuts go, it doesn’t get much better than Zhu’s Bunnylovr. It’s personal without being indulgent, it’s unique without feeling incomprehensible, and it’s full of heart and soul without being saccharine. Zhu’s first outing as a director, writer, and actor all at once makes it clear she is full of potential. What stands out the most to me from directors is when they not only have a clear story to tell but a unique vision. I felt myself going back and forth on Bunnylovr, analyzing the scenes, and then considering and reconsidering the film from different perspectives. Analyzing the symbolism of the rabbit while also examining Rebecca’s nebulous connection to John. For some, Zhu’s pacing might not hit the right tempo and her perspective might not have as strong of an impact, but for me, in Bunnylovr, Zhu has not only made her mark but defined herself as an up-and-coming star to keep an eye on.
Bunnylovr
Katarina Zhu’s feature debut is a stirring and intimate look at a camgirl’s life in New York.
- Release Date
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January 25, 2025
- Runtime
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86 Minutes
- Director
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Katarina Zhu
- Writers
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Katarina Zhu
- Producers
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James Graham, Molly Conners, Rachel Sennott, Tristan Scott-Behrends, Rhianon Jones
- Zhu has amazing on-screen chemistry with the cast and in her personal one-on-one scenes.
- ‘Bunnylovr’ offers a very personal and emotional look at sex work that blends different stories.
- With so much story to be told, the film could have benefitted from a longer runtime and additional scenes.
