This is the second British (well, Scottish and Welsh) film I saw this year that features a rabbit folklore -where as Starve Acre takes place on the Scottish moors, Bryn Chainey's Rabbit Trap takes place in Wales. Rabbits or Hares in Welsh folklore are depicted as a connection to the spirit world and fertility. Known as the pwca in Wales, rabbits are shapeshifting creatures that bring both good and bad fortunes.
A childless musician couple from London - Darcy (Dev Patel) and Daphne Davenport (Rosy McEwen), have moved into a secluded cottage to finish their album. Equipped with recorders and a soundsystem, they are exploring the new sound in the Welsh woods for inspiration. One day in the woods, doing the field recording, Darcy hears distinctly human voices in the woods. Then he finds a circle made of white stones in the floorbed of the forest. Soon, he encounters a young person of indeterminate age and sex (Jade Croot), who claims that they are from a nearby village. They know places in the woods that would interest the Davenports.
The child takes a shine on Daphne and their visitation to the cottage becomes more frequent. But the child's insistence and clinginess becomes more intense and uncomfortable, first for Darcy, then eventually for Daphne. There's something supernatural definitely in the woods and the child is not what they say they are.
Moody and trippy, both cinematography (Dp, Andreas Johannessen) and sound design are terrific. Verging on magic realism, the moss and fungus invading the interior of the cottage as Davenports are put under the spell of the child is truly a wonder (thanks to production designer Lucie Red). Patel and McEwen are both fantastic as a couple who share an unspoken, probably some dark backstory, and have terrific chemistry together. But it's young Jade Croot who shines as a mysterious child who throws themselves in the lives of Davenport, and who might not be human at all. Croot's performance has the similar intensity as young Barry Keogan in Lanthimos's Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Rabbit Trap is a terrific folk horror/fantasy film that is beautifully crafted and put together with stellar performances. Now streaming on multiple platforms.
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