Caveat from first-time director Damien McCarthy is a great example of putting art before money. McCarthy skillfully builds tension, leaving you with feelings of fear and confusion. The movie serves up anxiety in a way that’s strangely satisfying but leaves you with an unsettling emptiness.
The plot follows an isolated, amnesiac man who takes a job looking after a mentally unstable woman in a remote location. While it seems like a simple job at first, things quickly take a strange turn. The house is far from civilization, and the man must wear a strange, medieval-looking contraption that is part straightjacket, part torture device.
This is necessary because his employer, Olga, is terrified of men due to past trauma. Despite the oddity of the situation, Isaac (played brilliantly by Jonathan French) goes along with it. The rest of the film unfolds in a haze of strange images, like mold, dried blood, and unanswered questions.
Isaac’s charge, Olga, played by Leila Sykes, shifts between complete catatonia, where she covers her eyes in a creepy, disturbing way, and moments of trying to harm Isaac with a crossbow. The sense of fear and confinement grows stronger, leaving you on edge throughout the film.
By the final act, Isaac’s true purpose at the house and the tragic events that unfold are revealed through disjointed flashbacks, but they don’t fully clarify everything. Even with memory loss, Isaac had a specific role to play, and it’s clear that everyone involved knows this. The film starts with both main characters looking through a hole—perhaps this symbolizes a key to understanding the dreamlike ending.
The End of Caveat
It is full of uncertainties, just when you think you understand everything, McCarthy skillfully changes your view, making you rethink the situation. It’s not just a simple game of cat-and-mouse to finish things up. The house hides dark family secrets, some too disturbing to reveal, and it’s clear that a lot of blood has been shed there. At least two ghosts haunt the house. The first is Olga’s mother, who was left to die behind the walls after being shot by her husband and brother-in-law.
The second ghost may be Olga’s father, whose fate is uncertain—whether he was abandoned by Isaac or her mother remains unclear. Olga’s perspective is twisted, keeping many things hidden, which makes her version of events incomplete. Isaac’s version is no better, with a mysterious accident that may have been caused by Olga’s uncle, Barret. His hazy memories fill in some gaps, but they create more confusion.
About a year ago, before the accident that caused Isaac’s memory loss, Barret hired him to come to Olga’s house and lock her father in the basement, leading him to lose his mind and kill himself. The reasons for this are a bit unclear, but it’s certain that this event happened in the past.
Isaac didn’t go through with it, though. As the movie goes on, it becomes clear that Isaac was chosen because he had unfinished business, even if he can’t remember it. Barret wants all witnesses either dead or trapped.
Barret’s cruelty hints at what he and his brother might have done to Olga and her mother. He’s a predator who enjoys hurting others, not out of need but for sport. The early conversation he has with Isaac about fox howls and teenage girl screams raises suspicion about Olga’s past. It seems like Olga may have been abused by her uncle and father, which drove her and her mother mad. However, Barret doesn’t care about his niece—he only wants to make sure no one finds out the truth about him.
What is the bunny?
The creepy toy that Olga and Isaac cling to throughout the film is like a twisted version of the Energizer Bunny or a demonic Easter Bunny. Its eyes are disturbingly human and seem to judge everything around it.
The tiny drum it holds bangs at strange times, either warning of something dark nearby or possibly waking it up (it’s never made clear). Most likely, it does both. Olga uses the bunny as a shield against the decay around her.
The bunny also appears without Olga, moving as if controlled by spirits, making it even scarier. The truth behind it is never explained, but for both Olga and Isaac—who are both in danger and dangerous at different points—it seems to guide them toward hidden truths. In the end, the bunny seems more like a friend to Isaac.
It might be a messenger or summoner of evil spirits, depending on how you see the movie. Olga is both a victim and a result of the terrible things that happened in the house. For both her and Isaac, the bunny acts as a warning to stay away or be careful.