Rabbit Hole: Movie Review

Rabbit Hole filmed by John Cameron Mitchell is an adapted broadway play written by David Lindsay-Abaire which  was first commissioned in 2005 by South Coast Repertory.  Soon after, Rabbit Hole was produced  at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City. The exemplary achievements of Rabbit Hole also paved the way for Cynthia Nixon, who played Beca in the broadway show which won her Best Actress for her performance in the 2006 Tony Awards. Four years later, the emotionally intense and  cognitively sensitive  broadway play is now available on the big cinema screen led by a flawless team-- Nicole Kidman (Beca) and Aaron Eckhart (Howie).

The film is a depiction of contrasting human spirit, grief, and hope due to the loss of a child. Nicole Kidman (Beca), played an emotionally tormented mother who could not cope with the loss of her son who died in a car accident right in front of their house. In bereavement, the once happy and lively Kidman shifted to a bitter, faithless, hopeless, and demised individual. While, on a contrary, Aaron Eckhart (Howie), played as  Beca’s husband portrayed the role of a laconic, phlegmatic  father who silently tried to look at life through a brighter lens regardless of their loss.

The dramatic sequence of the film was heavy. However, the effortless acting styles of both Kidman and Eckhart alleviated the weight , and thus lifted the strong emotional burden of the film. Kidman’s approach in the film reminded me of  Cindy Sheehan,  a mother who lost her son in Iraq--  illustrating an extremely painful grief, which later escalated with  loosing her husband. Though, the film did not go thru such extremes as Sheehan, the juxtaposition of maternal dolefulness  between Sheehan and Kidman was clear.

The incandescent and emotionally moving part of the film for me was the relationship between Kidman and the young adolescent boy who killed Kidman’s son.  The scene was shot at the park bench where the young adolescent boy was showing Kidman his comic books and telling her his future plans, while very mournful about what happened. Meanwhile, Kidman was assuring the young man not to blame himself for the accident; which for me was a starting sign of her  acceptance. But I will not spoil the film and definitely not tell you the rest.

There were so many touching moments in the film; no wonder critics view this film as one of the best films of the year and a very strong contender for  an array of film awards coming 2011. Highly recommended. Piece of advice: bring tissues; unless you have a heart of stone. For  this film I give 3 ½ stars.