Jai Courtney stars – and Olivia Colman and Sam Neill voice a fox and a magpie respectively – in this absurdist black comedy about small-town duplicity and discontent.
Affable oaf Nick (Jai Courtney, Felony, MIFF Closing Night 2014) cruises through life courtesy of his rich daddy’s money, and his fiancée Kori (Emily Browning, One More Shot, MIFF 2025) has just accepted his marriage proposal. But when he discovers she’s been cheating on him – with the husband of her best friend! – everything unravels. While out hunting one day, he catches a talking fox, who tells him there’s a magical pit in the forest that can fix all of his problems. Nick hatches a plan … but they don’t call foxes tricksters for nothing.
Marking the feature directorial debut of Danger 5 co-creator Dario Russo – who also writes, edits and composes here – this tale of dissatisfied couples and the percipient animals that gawk and gossip about their silly human foibles deftly showcases his singular brand of dark humour. Alongside the animatronic critters, the star-studded cast – which also includes Australian actors Damon Herriman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, MIFF 2019) and Miranda Otto (Love Serenade, MIFF 1996) – goes ham with the film’s audacious concept, building a ‘be careful what you wish for’ fable like no other.
“Russo’s comic folktale [is] overflowing with amusing ideas and an impressively game cast … a promising and imaginative feature debut.” – Variety
Unclassified 18+