‘PINK RABBIT’ (2022) – Movie Review

When I was given the chance to review Turkish-born German-based filmmaker Zetkin Yikilmis’ Pink Rabbit, I didn’t have a clue what to expect outside of the plot description and honestly that was probably for the best for me as I went in with no expectations. Pink Rabbit was a crazy trip down the rabbit hole.

Synopsis

Pink Rabbit is about a young mother called Martha, whose absolutely ordinary journey from work way back home to her beloved son, turns into a nightmarish fairytale odyssey, as a sadistic guy dressed like a Pink Rabbit, crosses Martha’s way. He forces her into a surrealistic Quest, which leads through three bloody games.

Pink Rabbit was written and directed by Zetkin Yikilmis (Planet Zee). The film stars Zetkin Yikilmis (Some Smoke and a Red Locker), Roland Bialke (Planet Zee), Claus-Peter Seifert, Jakob Maximilian, David Ketter (Beatrice), Prince Chughtai (Beatrice), Curt Wolff (Beatrice), Dominic Yikilmis, and Emil I. Yikilimis.

Down The Rabbit Hole

Pink Rabbit has a very weird and surreal atmosphere. It’s a German film with German actors but it was filmed in English, so some of the line delivery is stilted at times but that just really adds to the overall uniqueness of the film’s delivery. Everyone just feels a bit off so you never know who Martha should trust at any given moment.

I feel like Martha’s story of trying to get home to her son is very relatable to anyone who has ever been apart from their loved ones, or even lost loved ones. You would give anything to be back with them again, though Martha has to go significantly further than most to get back to her son. She has to play 3 games that involve her killing all of each game’s enemies.

One of my favorite moments in the film is when Martha (played by writer/director Zetkin Yikilmis) looks at the camera and says something to the effect of “I have to kill a talking cat? Who wrote this shit?” The fight with the cat is also pretty hilarious. The film’s villain, The Pink Rabbit, is an interesting presence sometimes helping Martha, sometimes hindering her and taunting her. It’s never clear where his allegiances lie. My guess is he’s an agent of chaos.

Throughout Pink Rabbit I was never quite sure what was happening, what was real, and what was in Martha’s head. The film does keep you guessing from beginning to end. I enjoyed that all 3 games felt unique and kind of played with different genres/subgenres including period pieces, cannibal films, body horror, slapstick comedy, and police procedurals.

Final Thoughts

Pink Rabbit has the distinction of being one of the weirdest and most unique films I’ve had the pleasure to review. It kept me laughing, emotionally invested, and trying to guess where it was going throughout its runtime.  Its low budget shows and it’s not without its flaws and rough edges, but you can tell a lot of hard work and love went into this film.

If you like weird low-budget indie films I highly recommend you check out Pink Rabbit on Tubi.