©Fair Oaks Entertainment

Navigating real-life loneliness and sense of identity in an increasingly virtual world can be a constant struggle for anyone. That can be especially true for those people who seem to have a perfect life online. Becca, the protagonist in the new drama, Bunnylovr, ponders her self-worth as she contends with personal boundaries.

Katarina Zhu played the main character in the movie. She also made her feature film writing and directorial debuts on the project. Zhu developed and portrayed the protagonist as a drifting cam girl who’s struggling to survive her diverse relationships. Those connections include an increasingly toxic bond with one of her clients. She’s also rekindling her relationship with her dying estranged father.

Zhu presents Becca’s life as a series of vignettes throughout Bunnylovr. The drama follows the protagonist, a rootless online sex worker, who’s seeking connection. That yearning coincides with her vigilance for maintaining emotional and physical safety. To supplement her income as a personal assistant, she maintains an increasingly stressful relationship with her client, Carter (Austin Amelio).

Becca continues her relationship with her client, despite her growing hesitations about him. In desperate need for money, she appreciates that he pays her $500 per private chat. So she presents a more free and flirtatious persona online in order to maintain her income flow.

In real life, Becca is contending with her unexpected reunion with her father, William (Perry Yung), which is bittersweet. His terminal illness diagnosis giving them little time to repair their relationship before she loses him again.

The main character’s relationships with the two men are haunted by her memories of her ex-boyfriend, John (Jack Kilmer). The two recently broke up and are struggling to move on from the ending of their relationship.

Meanwhile, Becca is also struggling to open up to and be vulnerable with her friend Bella (Rachel Sennott). The latter works as a painter, and is preparing for an upcoming exhibition. Bella’s accomplishment make Becca ponder her life’s path. She also begins questioning how she can find her own happiness and success in such a noble way, as well.

Zhu crafted Becca’s character development, particularly her increasing reliance on working as a sex worker, through a nuanced approach. She showed her character’s drive to validate her sense of identity through her financial success online through her vulnerable performance. Beeca’s character development proves that in the modern social world, physical intimacy is commodified over familial bonds in real life.

With Sennott’s humor and Amelio’s nature, the movie showcases the angst in young adults who spend many hours online. As an actress, Zhu also emphasizes her character’s constant anxiety about her virtual and real lives through subtle physical cues.

As a filmmaker, Zhu paid special attention to how Becca looks at the people around her. She emphasizes the relatable longing in Becca’s gaze on screen. Those looks show her desire to make connections, and her need to maintain safety in her familiar isolation.

The helmer worked with the drama’s cinematographer, Daisy Zhou, to stage these scenes. The two filmmakers infuse hints of tension through intimate vantage points and shaky hand-held closeups.