"Rabbit Hole" is not going to be a movie for everyone. It is "slow" by any standard, there isn't a lot of resolution present, and the tone is quite somber throughout. What the film does feature, however, are some of the best acting performances you will ever see, as well as a unflinching look at grief and how one couple try to cope with it.
For a basic plot summary, "Rabbit Hole" focuses on Becca (Nicole Kidman) & Howie (Aaron Eckhart), a couple who lost their young son in a terrible accident. Each try to cope with that grief in their own way, with Becca turning to family--especially mother Nat (Dianne Wiest), who suffered a similar tragedy in the family--even when anger is the usual resolution, and Howie potentially finding solace in new group therapy partner Gabby (Sandra Oh). Becca also even goes so far as to stay in contact with Jason (Miles Teller), the perpetrator of the tragedy. Will they continue to drift apart, though neither of them truly want that to happen, or will they find some way to reconcile their grief and make things work?
At some point in everyone's life, they will experience intense grief or a tragedy of some kind. Life makes this almost inevitable. After these tragedies occurs, there usually comes a point where life takes one of two paths: You either fully live within the grief, or you decide to try and move forward, even in small ways. That is what "Rabbit Hole" is all about. Becca & Howie are at that stage where "something needs to happen", yet neither person knows exactly what that is or how they should proceed. This makes for some incredible, emotional, and also rather difficult material throughout the movie.
A film like this will either be made or broken by the acting performances, and fortunately they all shine here. In all honesty, this is some of the best acting I have ever seen on screen. Considering that the movie is only about 90-some minutes long, I consider it quite a feat that I was completely and utterly invested in the characters by the end. While it takes a good idea and a good script to do that too, just as much credit should be given to the emotional performances.
Like all of us, I have experienced grief both myself and inside my family, and thus I found myself very much relating to what the principals here were going through. Grief is a confusing, sad, and confounding thing, which is why "Rabbit Hole" is so powerful and melancholy at the same time. I found that to be a fascinating and riveting mix.
Overall, "Rabbit Hole" won't go down as one of my all-time favorite single films. Its scope isn't big enough for that. What I will remember it for, however, is its ability to accurately and emotional portray a realistic rendering of the grief and mourning process. If you don't mind a slower-paced film, and one filled with often conflicting emotions, "Rabbit Hole" will be a sort of unheralded gem for you to add to your film-watching experience.
For a basic plot summary, "Rabbit Hole" focuses on Becca (Nicole Kidman) & Howie (Aaron Eckhart), a couple who lost their young son in a terrible accident. Each try to cope with that grief in their own way, with Becca turning to family--especially mother Nat (Dianne Wiest), who suffered a similar tragedy in the family--even when anger is the usual resolution, and Howie potentially finding solace in new group therapy partner Gabby (Sandra Oh). Becca also even goes so far as to stay in contact with Jason (Miles Teller), the perpetrator of the tragedy. Will they continue to drift apart, though neither of them truly want that to happen, or will they find some way to reconcile their grief and make things work?
At some point in everyone's life, they will experience intense grief or a tragedy of some kind. Life makes this almost inevitable. After these tragedies occurs, there usually comes a point where life takes one of two paths: You either fully live within the grief, or you decide to try and move forward, even in small ways. That is what "Rabbit Hole" is all about. Becca & Howie are at that stage where "something needs to happen", yet neither person knows exactly what that is or how they should proceed. This makes for some incredible, emotional, and also rather difficult material throughout the movie.
A film like this will either be made or broken by the acting performances, and fortunately they all shine here. In all honesty, this is some of the best acting I have ever seen on screen. Considering that the movie is only about 90-some minutes long, I consider it quite a feat that I was completely and utterly invested in the characters by the end. While it takes a good idea and a good script to do that too, just as much credit should be given to the emotional performances.
Like all of us, I have experienced grief both myself and inside my family, and thus I found myself very much relating to what the principals here were going through. Grief is a confusing, sad, and confounding thing, which is why "Rabbit Hole" is so powerful and melancholy at the same time. I found that to be a fascinating and riveting mix.
Overall, "Rabbit Hole" won't go down as one of my all-time favorite single films. Its scope isn't big enough for that. What I will remember it for, however, is its ability to accurately and emotional portray a realistic rendering of the grief and mourning process. If you don't mind a slower-paced film, and one filled with often conflicting emotions, "Rabbit Hole" will be a sort of unheralded gem for you to add to your film-watching experience.