Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘White Rabbit’

Written by Scott Edwards 

It is easy to get pushed over the edge when it comes to people picking on you. Wanting to fight back can be the first response or the last depending on how you handle the stress. It is hard to imagine that people these days are less thick skinned than they used to be and allow every little thing to bother them, but it seems to be a fact that we have to live with. With so many people taking things to heart, it is easy to set something off in them that is not intentional, so it is easier to be mindful of your own actions and if you see that you are disturbing someone, you might want to lay off since you never know what their final reaction will be.

Harlon Mackey has had a tough life from day one, with a father that wanted to make him as strong as he is, Harlon is not made for that world. When his father gets him a gun and takes his little boy hunting, the tormenting does not stop, but when Harlon has the opportunity to take out a little rabbit, he is forced to take the shot. Missing on his first chance, the magical opportunity presents itself again when the rabbit gets stuck and cannot escape. Being commanded by his father to kill the helpless animal, Harlon kills the little rabbit but does not feel right about what he has done. When arriving home that night, his brother starts picking on him for crying after killing the rabbit and Harlon is able to take matters into his own hands, keeping his brother at bay at gunpoint, Harlon receives a very valuable lesson from his father.

Years go by and Harlon is still being tormented, not only by his family but by the kids at school. With his only friend being an outcast like him, the two get along and even though they are willing to stand up to their bullies, they both are vulnerable and get beat up regardless. Needing to blow off steam, the two have found an old abandoned factory that they go shooting in and have a great time doing so. When walking home from their target practice, they find a dog that has been thrown into a dumpster and try to make it their own. Steve’s parents are not happy with the idea and Harlon is forced to take the dog to his house but gets the same response. After taking the dog to the pound, Harlon gets word from his mother that something happened up the street from them where his friend lives and when he arrives to see what is happening, the police and ambulances should have been a giveaway to what happened, but Harlon will not allow it.

The days at school get harder for Harlon and he tries to fight back against his teachers when they embarrass him in front of the class. Needing someone to listen to him, he turns to his comic books and they start talking to him, giving him inspiration to defend himself. Not believing that he can carry through the hardcore storylines, something else falls into Harlon’s lap when a new girl moves to town. Julie is not like the other girls in school and wants to do things out of the ordinary and lucky for her, Harlon is less than ordinary. With a relationship starting between the two, Harlon sees that Julie likes to drink and flirt with the boys that have been making his life hell for years and wants to make a stand. When his comic book characters start telling him all that is wrong about the girl and what he will need to do to make her pay, he is able to calm the voices down when she says that they are very much the same type of person. But everyone in Harlon’s life has problems and they are forced to deal with them and make difficult life choices and adapt to the new world, will Harlon be able to accept this and move on as well, or will he continue to listen to his books that are telling him to get revenge?

I have had to watch this movie twice to make sure that I was not missing anything in the storyline and even though you may think that there are some holes in the story, they eventually all get answered. Seeing a young boy have to deal with the abuse all of his life and the only time he tried to stand up to it, he got punished, I can understand why he is never willing to make a stand. It takes me back to my high school days when I was being picked on and did not want to cause a stink since it did not seem too important to me. Words can be harmful to everybody and if you have never developed the thick skin that you need to have to make it through life, every attack seems to make it worse and worse and you think that people are out to get you. It may be true, but most of the time, these words are thrown at you since the person saying them does not respect themselves and they need the love and attention. This is really a powerful story that might open up some kids, along with their parents' eyes when it comes to dealing with bullies and the traumas that childhood abuse can cause.  

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