Since the end of the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, demonic cults just aren’t as scary as they used to be. Western society as a whole has since moved on to more pertinent fears, such as the ongoing refugee crisis and worldwide cultural attrition. Luckily, film provides us with an outlet for these anxieties, and every once and a while a clever filmmaker appears with a bizarre story that processes these feelings better than any manifesto could ever hope to. Teemu Niukkanen’s hilarious short film, Fucking Bunnies, is precisely one of these rare stories.

Fucking Bunnies follows Raimo, an ordinary middle-aged man attempting to survive suburban life in Helsinki, Finland. Raimo is soon confronted with his own prejudices when the leader of a Satanic Sex-Cult, Maki, moves next door, and offers to become his new squash partner. Hijinks ensue as Raimo’s wife pressures him into becoming a more accepting person, all the while Maki’s deviant lifestyle begins to affect the neighborhood, and Raimo himself, in unexpected ways.

While the plot of Niukkanen’s short may initially seem fit for little more than a silly comedy sketch, some nuanced filmmaking and a competent script help turn this simple dark comedy into an unusually intelligent (not to mention extremely amusing) piece of social commentary. The cinematography and direction is also very effective for this kind of story, providing us with an uncomplicated view of extraordinary events.

However, beyond the introspective look at suburban life in Finland, Fucking Bunnies is, at its core, an incredibly effective comedy, deriving humor from seemingly ordinary situations in unconventional ways. From Maki’s constant death-metal make-up as he goes about his day-to-day routine, to a few disturbing sexual moments in the middle of innocent conversations, there are quite a few laughs to be had with this film. Fortunately, despite the simple premise, Fucking Bunnies never falls into ‘one-trick pony’ territory, and I could definitely see this idea expanded into a feature-length movie.

Ultimately, Fucking Bunnies is one of those rare pieces of fiction that works both as an artistic statement and as pure entertainment. I can’t think of anyone that won’t appreciate at least some of the peculiar humor of this short film, and I’m looking forward to viewing Niukkanen’s future work. If anything, Fucking Bunnies proves that even finding a new squash partner can make for some compelling storytelling if handled correctly.

Fucking Bunnies will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January, 20th!