Pratik Handore
Netflix’s ‘Run Rabbit’ Run’ is a horror thriller film directed by Daina Reid and follows Sarah, an experienced fertility doctor. Sarah’s life takes a drastic turn when her 7-year-old daughter, Mia, claims to have memories of another life. Moreover, Mia’s claims are deeply connected to Sarah’s past, which brings back traumatic memories. Sarah’s feelings of anxiety and dread about her past are amplified through the movie’s settings, creating the right ambiance for a psychological horror story to unfold. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Run Rabbit Run Is Set in Australia
‘Run Rabbit Run’ follows Sarah, a single mother who lives with her seven-year-old daughter, Mia. However, Mia starts showing strange behavioral patterns after her seventh birthday. As a result, Sarah grows concerned for Mia’s safety and discovers her daughter’s condition is connected to her past. The movie primarily takes place in the present day, making it safe to say that the events are firmly set sometime around the year 2023. Despite the narrative’s strong ties with Sarah’s past, especially her connection to her sister, Alice, the film does not feature any extensive flashbacks. As a result, the movie captures the anxieties caused by Sarah’s present situation by limiting the story to the present day.
The film’s settings play an integral part in building the eerie, creepy, and tense atmosphere necessary for viewers to immerse themselves in this almost gothic folk horror tale about a mother-daughter relationship complicated by a chain of inexplicable events. As a result, the makers use two primary settings to craft this peculiar, moody, and dense atmosphere, which helps create suspense and intrigue about the main characters’ backstories. The movie’s first act occurs in a suburban house where Sarah lives alone with her daughter, Mia, who has divorced her husband, Peter. These scenes are set in suburban South Australia, a state located in Australia’s south.
Although the exact location of the house where Sarah and Mia live isn’t specified in the film, it is safe to assume they live around Waikerie, South Australia, where some portions of the film were shot. Moreover, the movie also features the extensive landscape of South Australia, which is characterized by several low mountain ranges. Writer Hannah Kent, who wrote the movie’s screenplay, explained that the cliffs and rough terrain of South Australia were chosen particularly to build the atmosphere they wanted to capture Sarah’s anxieties about motherhood and alienation.
Some portions of the movie, especially when Sarah and Mia move into the former’s childhood home, appear to be set around the Riverland area near the Murray River in Southeastern Australia. These locations have a more dramatic feel, as the remote house helps to further the alienation between the mother and daughter. The suburban South Australia setting lays the groundwork for the tension between Sarah and Mia. It represents the carefully constructed reality Sarah has chosen for herself.
When she is removed from that protected environment and returns to her childhood home, the rough and gritty exteriors help convey the uneasiness of Sarah’s confrontation with her traumatic past. As a result, the settings of ‘Run Rabbit Run’ significantly contribute to the movie’s narrative and themes. Moreover, by leaving the exact location where the main characters live unnamed, the film elevates its sense of horror and suspense as the characters and viewers never know what to expect from the moody and dramatic backdrops of the story.
Read More: What is the Meaning of Run Rabbit Run Title? What is the Significance of Rabbit Mask?
