Rabbit Hole is the film version of a renowned stage play. It is a heart wrenching, emotive and sombre account of how a young couple deal with personal loss. Given these facts is it any wonder that it is also Nicole Kidman’s best film in over a decade?
Howie (Aaron Eckhart) and Becca (Kidman) are lost in a marriage due to circumstances beyond their control. The love is still there, but the passion is long gone, and the only thing that seems to bind them now, is also the thing that divides them.
They tiptoe around touchy topics and maintain a stiff upper lip in the presence of others, all of who want to help but can’t think of the first thing to say to start the process.
At times it seems like it is almost competitive mourning.
Family gatherings are awkward, what with Becca’s pregnant sister and over-keen mother. Social gatherings with friends non-existent. Both Howie and Becca deal with their own issues in dramatically different ways. Howie finds solace in group therapy sessions. It is here that he meets a woman who has as close to a genuine understanding of his grief as anyone. Becca on the other hand has eschewed such expected methods, and has taken to following around one young boy who has his own angle on the situation.
Rabbit Hole doesn’t take sides and it des not pretend to give answers. It is an extremely dark and equally effective character study, where the long silences and frosty glances often carry more weight than heated arguments and clumsy speeches.
Even as a parent it is impossible to understand the depth of emotion on display here, but the power of the film is undeniable.
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. It’s just so hard to recommend such subject matter, even when it is very good.
