in ,

Sundance 2025: Rabbit Trap Leaves Audiences Wanting

Dev Patel as Darcy. Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Writer-director Bryn Chainey’s first feature film, Rabbit Trap premieres as part of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The movie follows Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen as a couple living in a cottage in Wales away from the rest of society. When a mysterious child appears at their home, they are swept up in a mystical world, and reality seems to fold around them. Rabbit Trap uses intricate sound design to create a unique setting and give tension to nearly every moment of the film. However, storytelling flaws and an over-complicated plot leave the movie somewhat incomplete.

Set in Wales in 1976, Darcy (Patel) and his wife, Daphne Davenport (McEwen), use a recording device to find interesting sounds in the woods to use in Daphne’s music. Darcy tries not to go too far from his home, but constantly searches for something unique to help his wife. It is unclear why they live so far away from civilization, but their relationship is uneasy, even though their passion is evident. Darcy is having a recurring dream which leaves him waking up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

On an ordinarily peaceful morning, Daphne sees a young child (Jade Croot) standing eerily outside their house. Darcy chases the kid down and learns he lives alone in the woods and kills rabbits for food. Against their better judgment, Darcy and Daphne begin to form a relationship with the child. As the couple spends more time with the child, the mysticism heightens, and Darcy’s dream becomes longer and more gruesome. A horrific creature stands in the shadows, getting closer to Darcy.

During these dream sequences, Rabbit Trap is at its most unnerving. In one scene, Chainey’s use of dim, yellow light creates a sense of unease about what is happening in the real world and what is just in Darcy’s head. One clear thing is that Darcy is horrified by what he sees. As Darcy’s dreams worsen and he becomes more distant, the child and Daphne’s relationship becomes more familiar. The child wants a mother, Daphne wants to have children, and they form a seemingly loving bond.

Given the film’s scope and chilling tone, Croot’s vulnerability in these scenes is fascinating, as it is intriguing to know something is off about the child. Still, we are drawn to him and become empathetic for a lost child with no family to turn to. Daphne wants to care for the child and learn more about him. The child tells the story of his brother, who got trapped in a fairy world, ultimately leading to his death. Daphne seems hesitant to believe this story at first, but Darcy looks worried as if this is something he has experienced before.

Although there are no scary images on screen, Patel’s performance keeps the tension high which adds to the sense of unease among the characters and the audience. As the child gets closer to Daphne, Patel’s anxiety worsens, and he becomes paranoid that something dangerous will happen. When the child leads Daphne into the woods, Darcy chases after them. He stumbles into a cave where photos from his childhood are laid across the ground. In horror, he runs back towards his wife, only to get his foot stuck in a rabbit trap. Through the immense pain, we see Darcy questioning what has happened and what it means for him.

A man wearing headphones looking concerned
Dev Patel as Darcy. Courtesy of Sundance Institute

When he heads back to his house, Darcy sees that the child has fully taken on the role of Daphne’s son. He bathes in their house, sleeps in their bed, and eats their food. Darcy freaks out and forces the child to leave, throwing him out of the house. What follows is the most disturbing part of the Rabbit Trap. The child is desperate to be loved and become a part of Darcy and Daphne’s family. Standing in the rain, he screams at the couple to give him a name. The visceral way Croot screams, “Name me!” is chilling, bringing the entire film to a halt. Something is clearly off about the child, and Darcy and Daphne don’t know how to react. In sheer panic, they offer the child to come inside and have dinner with them.

After a day of activities, Darcy and Daphne get closer to the child and act like real parents. The three are together in bed, and Darcy tells the child a story about a rabbit. At this moment, something magical happens, and the child transforms into a rabbit. What this represents, or the child’s role in the story, is unclear. At this point, Rabbit Trap unravels, making the film difficult to understand.

Darcy’s dream returns, and we learn that his father is the monster standing in the shadows. His history of mysticism partially explains why the child has freaked him out. However, this revelation has no real payoff, and he wakes up relatively unbothered. Darcy is at peace with what happened and goes outside to record sounds for Daphne’s music. He then points the recorder towards himself and begins to say something he doesn’t feel comfortable speaking in person. Rabbit Trap cuts to Daphne listening to this recording, both overcome with emotion. Unfortunately, the audience doesn’t hear what was said, and the film ends with no questions resolved.

Even though it’s his first feature, Chainy imbues Rabbit Trap with enough technical flair and unique sound design to make the film intriguing. However, the script’s lapses are challenging to ignore. With more horror elements and a complete story, Rabbit Trap could have been a fascinating depiction of Welsh folklore come to life. Instead, the movie feels nothing more than a star vehicle for Dev Patel with an underdone script.

Written by Nathan Lechner

Leave a Reply

Film Obsessive welcomes your comments. All submissions are moderated. Replies including personal attacks, spam, and other offensive remarks will not be published. Email addresses will not be visible on published comments.

Christina Friedrich poses in front of a brick wall mural.

Director Christina Friedrich on The Night Is Dark and Colder Than the Day

Tom Hanson and Summer Finn in the elevator, this is their first interaction. Tom is listening to The Smiths.

The Multiple Truths of (500) Days of Summer