Rabbit Hole

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller, Tammy Blanchard, Sandra Oh, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney
Directed by: John Cameron Mitchell
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A husband (Aaron Eckhart) and wife (Nicole Kidman) struggle to cope after the death of their young son.

Review:

Tim: Rabbit Hole is certainly a realistic, vivid portrayal of two people's broken lives after the unexpected death of their son. We've seen these movies before, but it doesn't mean that the story isn't powerful. The film features some strong acting, some dramatic moments, and shows the slow, painful healing process as we grieve for those we lost. I thought the film was fairly decent, but ultimately left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

What impressed me most about the film was the constant presence the absence of their son left on the lives of the characters on screen. We never actually see their child (one, because he is dead, two, no flashbacks), but he is constantly felt throughout the movie. Dead seems to be weighing down everyone and everything in the film, and that loss is oppressing. That was impressive.

What I didn't care so much was that I felt a bit of a "so what?" factor throughout this movie. Yes, we get to see people acting emotionally and that raw emotion fuels most of the movie. But, we've seen this before. What makes this film different from the others? I also didn't like how movies like this always need to show an outburst or some crazy behavior to illustrate to the audience how terrible they feel inside. The worst example of this is Nicole Kidman and her sister in the grocery store. This didn't feel like a real, genuine moment to me. It felt like a manufactured one so we'd get how messed up the death of her son made her. It just didn't feel like a reflection of truth. There's similar moments like this throughout the film.

I will say that Kidman did a very good job throughout the film. She certainly gets to showcase their talent with a few powerful scenes showing her grief. However, I was more impressed with the quiet moments. Kidman shows restraint in the role, which is what was needed. It's those moments where she seems almost numb to the world around her that really spoke volumes about her performance. I'm a bit surprised that she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance. I thought she was really good, but I'm not sure if she was really deserving. It felt like they gave the nomination to the name, not exactly the performance.

Aaron Eckhart is good in the film as well, although not as good as Kidman. He has a few powerful scenes, but his biggest contribution was taking a markedly different path than Kidman. Grief impacts people in many different ways, and I enjoyed seeing how he dealt with the situation. I don't know if I saw a lot of chemistry between Eckhart and Kidman, but they did work well together. It was also nice seeing Dianne Wiest with a role where she actually has something to do. I also liked seeing Sandra Oh, and I was very impressed with Miles Teller. The cast as a whole is pretty good.

While the film does give us a vivid portrayal of grief, I felt like it came across a bit to disjointed. I don't think the concept of the "Rabbit Hole" comic book or parallel worlds was explored enough. It was hinted at, but I'd like to have seen a little more. The film is also very quiet and very slow moving. I know that's important, but it needed to pick up the pace in a few scenes.

Rabbit Hole does feature a very good performance by Nicole Kidman. It's a realistic, grown-up view of loss and trying to put the pieces of your life together afterward. While I didn't think the movie delivered to its potential, it's still worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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