Rabbit Hole

The reality of losing a young child is a terrible tragedy, which I wish no parent would have to experience. But unforeseen things do happen in life, and there will always be grieving parents somewhere mourning the loss of their young ones. A recent study reveals that 20,000 kids die every day around the world as a result of poor health conditions, child abuse, gang warfare, natural disasters, accidents, wars, and many more. Nonetheless, John Cameroon Mitchell’s “Rabbit Hole” (2010) is not about drugs or a medical condition or a natural calamity, but about an unexpected, life-changing event in the lives of a couple, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie Corbett (Aaron Eckhart). Based on a play by David Lindsay-Abaire, “Rabbit Hole” takes us through the aftermath of the tragic death of the Corbett’s son, Danny. The story can be called a case study of how this couple goes through an emotional upheaval in dealing with young Danny’s death and how it impacts their marital bliss.

Director Mitchell utilizes a suburban setting by taking us directly to the couple’s home in a serene neighborhood. In the opening segments, Becca is calmly working in the kitchen, while Howie is watching a video on his iPhone. It’s an understated sequence that indirectly conveys the death of their son. Gradually, as the film opens up, we are presented with divergent ways of handling grief. Becca has become emotionally cold and distant, and nothing pleases her any more. She has shut off Howie through her actions, and it leaves no room for any physical intimacy. More so, she has confined herself to the domestic space, which only acts as a temporary consolation. On the other hand, Howie is quite the opposite; he is emotionally more expressive than Becca, and he likes to relish the moments they have spent together with their son. As both of them are grieving in their own ways, they have constructed a façade to deal with the sorrow. Becca is reserved and quiet most of the time, shrugging off any suggestions to seek professional help; she feels protected in her own shell. Howie is pragmatic in his approach and being an extroverted person, he likes to socialize, enabling him to divert his attention from the painful things in life.

Becca and Howie decide to go for a group-therapy session to discuss openly their emotional pain. Seeing everyone in tears, Becca laughs and dismisses the idea of finding solace in God and church. She challenges the belief system of everyone present in the room by questioning the meaning of God’s actions in depriving parents of their kids. She feels suffocated in a group setting and feels that people in the group should face the reality: finding comfort in God is being overly foolish. In fact, she sees her belief in God making her weak, and we begin to see her as an agnostic person. The anger blinds her in coming up with a reasonable way to deal with the pain. Howie, seeing no recourse, starts developing a bond with another grieving parent, Gabby (Sandra Oh).

The picture packs in more thought-provoking segments with the arrival of Becca’s mother, Nat (Dianne West). It opens up an interesting perspective on how you value the loss of a child. Nat offers Becca some advice, specifically how she dealt with the death of Becca’s brother. Becca’s brother was a drug addict, and in Becca’s eyes his life was hardly valuable. Nat equating the loss of Becca’s brother to Danny angers Becca. In her mind, Becca feels Danny’s life was more precious than that of a drug addict.  It’s a heartbreaking segment, if you see it from Nat’s perspective. Nevertheless, for both the mothers, the loss of losing their child is simply unfathomable, something that cannot be judged on how their kids would turn up in their life. The discussion touches on God and church, as Nat tries to provide some comfort to Becca. Nonetheless, both the characters are still grieving internally trying to find meaning in all of this. So, where does Becca finally find solace?

In a memorable moment, Becca starts interacting with a seventeen-year-old, aspiring comic-book artist, Jason (Miles Teller), who was the driver that hit Danny, which eventually led to Danny’s death. Instead of showing anger, Becca surprisingly comes across as an understanding and comforting person, quite the opposite of her behavior toward Howie. Inside, she has forgiven Jason for the accident, and she wants to make sure that he doesn’t carry the guilt of that fateful accident for his entire life. Somehow Becca has embarked on a self-reflective journey that brings forgiveness, along with some form of peaceful recourse. Indeed, Becca’s interaction with Jason is like a prelude of hopeful things to follow in the lives of Becca and Howie.

There is no doubt “Rabbit Hole” is a type of movie that Ingmar Bergman or Woody Allen would have loved to make in the ‘80s. It’s a strong feminist piece touching the core of female emotional aspects linked with motherhood and domestic life. Above all, the script elicits strong performances from Kidman, Eckhart, and West, enabling the film to be emotionally uplifting and unforgettable. The script primarily focuses on a female character played by Nicole Kidman, and she is in almost every frame of the movie. Since the movie is played from a mother’s perspective, Kidman’s character is the pivot around which the entire plot revolves: how she feels, behaves, and interacts with the outside world.

Kidman’s performance in “Rabbit Hole” is her best performance to date, even surpassing the Academy Award winning performance in “The Hours.” She is brilliant in portraying a grieving mother. Her character operates on the fringes of normality and depression, and she delicately maintains the balance in exhibiting the duality expected from her character. The interaction between Kidman and Eckhart is vital in depicting a disintegrating marriage, and they do a convincing job here, too. A drama like “Rabbit Hole” could have easily spiraled into melodrama territory, but their performances are low-key, subtly conveying the emotional touch points of a grieving couple. In dramatic scenes, Becca’s dismissive attitude toward Howie, and Howie’s response, never gets too sappy. This enables to us to focus on the core issue and not get overwhelmed by the drama. Indeed, the mature performances, along with a focused script, make “Rabbit Hole” an engaging affair.

“Rabbit Hole” is a difficult movie to watch because of the heartbreaking issue in the lives of the Corbetts.  It’s a realistic examination of how a marriage can gradually crumble, even if the couple is still in love. The problem comes if professional help is refused or dismissed, and “Rabbit Hole” is in this respect a brutally honest film.

Video:

Lionsgate presents “Rabbit Hole” in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded in an MPEG-4/AVC codec. The suburbia comes to life in the 1080p transfer; the colors are bright and deep, and consistently sharp throughout. The décor in the house stands out with vivid colors as well. The detail is noticeable when we are presented with the glimpses of the neighborhood. The close-ups are solid, with realistic flesh tones. There is also a trace of grain as the film switches from the indoor to the outdoor scenes. In the end, this is a sharp-looking transfer.

Audio:

For this release Lionsgate has included a 7.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio track. Being a dialogue-driven affair, the film’s sound design is propelled by the front channels. The dialogue is consistently sharp and clear. The rear channels are triggered by the film’s soundtrack. Considering that “Rabbit Hole” is rather a quiet movie, the lossless track presented here works well.

Extras:

First among the extras we get an audio commentary from the director, the writer, and the director of photography. The trio discuss how the play was translated to the movie and a few challenges in writing the movie’s script. They also talk about the casting and their favorite segments from the movie. Following this, we get deleted scenes, along with a theatrical trailer.

Parting Thoughts:

Featuring poignant performances from Kidman, Eckhart, and West, “Rabbit Hole” is an engrossing drama, although the film is depressing to watch at times. This is because the film is so realistic in conveying the pain of the parents that it hits us in the end. Even though the Corbetts’ self-realization journey is painful, it carries hope to deal with the pain and loss. It shows us that an important part of the post-tragedy process is where one finds solace and how the journey ends.  This is where the real strength of the movie lies.