It has become difficult recently to find a compelling enough show that truly makes you want to binge it. However, director Isabella Eklöf and writer Pete Jackson adapted Nick Cave’s novel The Death of Bunny Munro in just the right way. There was nothing stopping me from wanting to finish the limited series in one sitting. Hopefully you will feel this way too. Pure tension and imagination have worked together to create the final product. Even the title keeps you on your toes from even before the moment episode one begins.
From the beginning, and through an interview with Eklöf herself, you can tell that the mini-series was a passion project. The love she felt for the original novel manifests in her direction of the show. In 2009, Australian singer Nick Cave wrote his second novel, The Death of Bunny Munro. With the help of Clerkenwell Films for Sky Atlantic, a six-part television miniseries has been produced. For those who have read the novel, you will hopefully feel the same emotions as when you read it. Then for those who have not, the tension you feel will be like nothing else.
Bunny Munro (Matt Smith) is a sex-addicted cosmetics salesman. He has no shame in what he does and continues filled with pride. After his wife’s suicide his decisions become even more rash. He goes on the run with his nine-year-old son, Bunny Junior (Rafael Mathé), to keep him from being put in the system. Never having had to be the parent before, Bunny’s ability is almost non-existent. They begin a spiralling journey down the South of the United Kingdom. During their roadtrip, the two begin to understand one another and so much about Bunny is revealed.
Matt Smith had long been part of the project before they brought on Eklöf to direct. No one could take away what Smith has built as the titular Bunny Munro. Each episode sees Bunny slipping further and further down this rabbit hole, with only one result ahead. It is pure genius how Bunny is introduced to the audience in episode one. Building up on the idea of Bunny being an actual rabbit, how he sees himself and the world around him. The trope of living up to his name is there and playfully toyed with throughout. Simply through his facial expressions, Smith brings the audience closer to Bunny. The tension built between the women and Bunny can even be felt – whether it be good or bad.
Struggling to contain their grief, both Bunny and Junior see the world in different ways. Bunny hops between sales pitches, with one goal in mind, the expo. Along the way, even with Junior in the car, he continues to try and seduce the women he meets. Junior, on the other hand, talks to the ghost of his mother to distract himself from his father’s impending doom. As Bunny unravels, the two realize that he is not only flawed, he is mentally unstable. Junior suffers grief and Bunny insanity, the two face all odds, including a serial killer. They have everything to lose as this journey unfolds in front of them.
For viewers who have read the novel, they may know what was built up or not throughout the tale. However, for those of us who have yet to read it, there is so much suspense built for in each episode. Pete Jackson has carefully taken Nick Cave’s novel and turned it into eight episodes of build up and anticipation. Through a thoughtful script and precise acting, the viewer cannot help but be concerned about how Bunny slips deeper in each episode. There is even the question of the serial killer looming over everyone as well. As the killer is thrown in ever so slyly each episode — in ways that seem to only be apparent to Bunny — we wonder when, or if, the two will meet.
No restrictions apply in The Death of Bunny Munro. You may feel the swagger and shimmer Smith evokes as Bunny, but those around him shine as well. From episode one the story belongs to Bunny, but as we proceed to the end of Bunny’s tale, it is apparent that Junior has taken over. As said by Eklöf, in similar terms, it is about the younger generation taking over and becoming the new. His debut role in television, Rafael Mathé shines as Bunny Junior. Not only is there a slight similarity in father and son, he shows just how much sorrow a child can feel from the loss of a parent and through the process of losing the other.
An understanding is built up in the viewer through the script’s qualities and where the cast take it. Even the elements put into the production of the series as well all assist in the final result and feeling produced. Each episode is a new path of the father loosing his grip on reality and the son moving through grief. As we are further introduced into this concept, from the beginning the title sequence creates a tense impact. With a soft pink and type-writer feel of a font, the opening credits always come from a high moment in the episode. They took the time to build up to the score dropping and Nick Cave’s voice comes in. “We got to love one another or die” words that are repeated throughout both the score and to Bunny as well. No details were missed in the construction of The Death of Bunny Munro.
Perhaps it is from how Nick Cave wrote his novel combined with Jackson and Eklöf’s interpretation and adaptation but there is an element that makes it feel as though Bunny Munro’s story is real. The story and the elements of the series allow for such a connection to be made between character and viewer that you can almost be convinced it has been based on a true story. There is no shortage of precision in the creation of The Death of Bunny Munro and its final product shows for it. Through impeccable direction and writing The Death of Bunny Munro is already a compelling story. Then, when combined with the talents of its actors, there is nothing it cannot achieve.
After premiering at the London Film Festival on Monday October 13th, 2025, The Death of Bunny Munro is set to hit SkyTV screens November 20th. Be sure to keep this date in your calendar because you will not want to miss this compelling new miniseries when it hits your miniscreens.
