Dev Patel's RABBIT TRAP is a Psychedelic Folk Horror Film - Sundance Review

Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen star in Rabbit Trap, a film that takes place in the beautiful Welsh countryside and features a stunningly immersive soundscape.

A musician couple living in a cottage and working on their avant-garde music are quickly cast under a sort of spell when a young child arrives outside their home.

Assuming the child is just a neighbor who heard their weird music, they let the kid in, which is immediately a red flag. Never let the creepy kid into your house, especially when he knows way too much about trapping and killing rabbits.

Things get really strange and even more difficult to explain as the plot slowly begins to melt away, similar to how my brain felt watching this. It becomes unclear what is actually happening versus what the characters perceive is happening, which I’ll admit can be frustrating at times. But rather than fight against it, might I suggest just enjoying the vibe.

This film is definitely more atmospheric, with very few actual jump scares, but it does an excellent job of feeling spooky-yet-soothing. If you love a slow film that just lets you bask in folksy horror, you’ll enjoy this.

I was captivated pretty much up until the end, which surprised me because I am easily bored. The acting from all three characters really sold me, so even while the plot might fall apart a little bit, I was engaged for the entirety of the film.

The official description reads: “When a musician and her husband move to a remote house in Wales, the music they make disturbs local ancient folk magic, bringing a nameless child to their door who is intent on infiltrating their lives.”

“Set in 1976, writer and director Bryn Chainey’s extraordinary debut feature invokes the eerie spirit of British folk horror, conjuring supernatural dread in a fecund Welsh forest.

“Obsessive avant-garde musician Daphne (Rosy McEwen) toils over reel-to-reel tape machines and oscillators in their cottage while her withdrawn husband, Darcy (Dev Patel), collects field recordings in the nearby woods.

“Their activities draw the attention of a mysterious young rabbit trapper (an unnerving Jade Croot) who beguiles them, disturbing their fragile peace. 

“Rabbit Trap casts a spell of haunted sensuality and submerged trauma through cinematographer Andreas Johannessen’s tactile 35mm images, and a synesthetic soundscape made in collaboration between composer Lucrecia Dalt and sound designer Graham Reznick.

“Patel and McEwen are quietly moving as the young couple, grounding this otherworldly fable with a portrait of a marriage sustained through fraught intimacy and restless creative collaboration.”