Down the Rabbit Hole

I didn't really know what to expect from Rabbit Hole. It is directed by John Cameron Mitchell who burst on the scene in 2001 with an amazing edgy film, Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Mitchell wrote directed and starred in that film as the unfortunate transvestite rocker with the angry inch. He also directed Shortbus which was a sex romp, but Rabbit Hole is a complete change of pace for Mitchell. This new film tells the story of a couple (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) whose young child was killed when he ran into the street and was hit by a car driven by a teenager (Miles Teller). At the start of Rabbit Hole, the tragedy has already happened, and we find the couple trying to deal with their grief and get on with their lives. Kidman's mother (Dianne Wiest) and sister (Tammy Blanchard) are trying to help but there is lots of tension between them.

 Each character is in his or her own private hell. They all want to move on, but they don't know how. Grief is driving Kidman and Eckhart apart. He contemplates an affair with a woman (Sandra Oh) that he met at a grief therapy group. And Kidman starts spending time with the kid who ran over her son. Rabbit Hole is an amazingly good film. It was a play by David Lindsay-Abaire which won a Pulitzer and a Tony. So the writing is excellent, which is a good thing because most of this movie is no action and lots of talking.

The casting is great and so is the direction. The emotions are so raw in Rabbit Hole that in most films the actors would be eating the scenery. But the nice thing about this film is that the actors underplay everything, and because of this, it has a greater impact. Kidman, in particular, is amazing. She is coming off a couple of big Hollywood films, Nine and Australia. These films didn't really test Kidman's range but take a look at Margot at the Wedding and you'll really see something. In Rabbit Hole she gives a really affecting performance, particularly in her scenes with the boy who was responsible for the accident and is grieving as much as she is. Miles Teller does a great job in this small role. Eckhart is also coming off some big Hollywood films like The Dark Knight, and this is a nice return for him to a smaller film. 

I guess the big surprise is that John Cameron Mitchell can direct such a nuanced film after doing Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. Rabbit Hole could have been a real downer of a movie, but it isn't. It's not a happy movie. I don't know how anyone could get over the death of their child. But the characters in Rabbit Hole are very real and the viewer cares about them.  They don't get over the tragedy, but they do find a way to keep going and find some meaning in their lives. Kidman was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, and this movie is going to be on my Top Ten list for the year. Rabbit Hole is still in the theatres, so if you are looking for something that is not The Dilemma or Little Fockers, go see it.