RABBIT HOLE

US, 2010, 91 minutes, Colour.
Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Diane Wiest, Miles Teller, Tammy Blanchard, Sandra Oh, Giancarlo Esposito, Jon Tenney.
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell.

This is a drama focusing on a couple who have lost their son, hit by a car outside his house. He is their only child and was four years old. Each of them tries to deal with their grief in their own way, but this sets up great tensions because they have reacted so differently. How can they come to terms with what has happened to their son and to them? Can they?

This is a well-written and well-acted film. It offers strong opportunities for Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart to show their dramatic skills. They work well with and against each other so that the audience is drawn into their conflict. Members of the audience will respond in different ways to the husband and to the wife, liking one and disliking the other, judging one and excusing or making allowances for the other.

Nicole Kidman is Becca. Her way of coping tends to suppress too much emotion and to move to a more cerebral stance. Aaron Eckhart is Howie, who is far more emotionally expressive, regretting Becca’s moves to eliminate what he values as memories of his son, his dog, the clothes and items in his room, even the suggestion to sell the house. He accompanies Becca to a help group but she is alienated by their outpourings and, especially, of their reliance on religious comfort and their talk of God. She laughs. She walks out. Howie continues to go and befriends Gaby (Sandra Oh) whose husband has walked out on her. Can she supply comfort and support for Howie? Comfort for herself?

What sustains Becca is tracking down the high school student who was the driver of the car. He is also living with regrets and a scruple that it may have been his fault, although the little boy had run out on to the street after his dog. The young man, Jason (Miles Teller) is finishing school but is a sketcher and is composing a graphic comic-book, Rabbit Hole.

Becca is also handicapped by her irresponsible sister, Izzy (Tammy Blanchard) and handicapped and helped by her rather simple and homespun mother (Dianne Wiest) who is still grieving the death of her adult son by an overdose. Becca resents her mother’s comparing the two deaths and the motherly grief.

While the film is serious, there are some humorous touches, which enable the audience to stay with the drama, with their own thoughts and feelings. The film derives from a play and part of the success of the film is that it has some very strong dialogue and speeches which express the inner life of each of the central characters.

The film is directed by John Cameron Mitchell, better known as a director of some sexually provocative features, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus. He makes a very effective transition to more mainstream material with Rabbit Hole.
1. the impact of the film? Dramatic? The death of a child? Parental grief? Ability to cope or not?

2. The title, Jason and his comic book, the father and the son, parents and death?

3. His reading the book about parallel universes, the reflections on parallel universes, the theory, the symbol of parallel universes, some happy in one world, sad in another?

4. The story of a marriage, of a child, the child at play, the dog let loose, the open latch, the teenage driver in the car, the accident, swerving away from the dog, hitting the child? Jason and his attitude towards the accident? The parents and their sadness? The challenge?

5. The picture of Becca: Nicole Kidman’s performance, as a mother, wife, her memories? Working in the garden, the invitation of her neighbour to a meal, the neighbour accidentally treading on the flower? Not going out to dinner, giving Howie excuses? The routines in the home? Getting Izzy out of jail, the bail, her reaction to her staying in the house, her lack of responsibility, her relationships, the issue of her pregnancy and sensitivity towards Becca? Howie and his tensions? The sexual tensions? Her not being ready? Her removing the memories of her son, the drawings from the fridge? The accidental deleting of the video on the phone? Going to the group, laughing, lacking empathy, her reaction against talk about God? Her insensitivity towards the other members? Leaving, not going back? Discussions about God, with her mother, God as a sadist like her father? Her relationship with her mother, tense, her resentment against equating her brother’s death from heroin overdose with her son’s? The sharp answers? Her not talking about herself? Not perceiving Howie and his grief and being able to understand and respond? His not removing the memories of his son? The decision to sell the house? The upset? Izzy’s birthday, the gifts, the sensitivity about the birth of the child? Talking to her mother? Jason, the library book, her following him, the talks in the park, the sharing of sentiment? His book? The selling of the house, her going out when visitors came, Howie and his reaction against Jason’s book? His being upset? Her smelling the pot on him? With Izzy at the supermarket, her brusque words to the mother reprimanding her child, the woman slapping her? Her going out, audiences thinking she was following Howie, going to Jason’s house, watching him going for the graduation, her desperate weeping, sleeping in the car, Jason waking her, her return home, talking with Howie, able to try again, the suggestion of the cookout, the cookout and the various people coming, family and friends? Possibilities?

6. Howie and his grief, at work, his routines at home, tasting the meal, the meals, tension, talking and not talking, his wanting to have the memories of his son? The dog and bringing it back? Going to the group, his reaction to Becca’s laughing? His return, seeing Gaby, listening to Gaby and her husband, the husband’s wariness? Her smoking pot, Howie joining her? Returning to the group? Going to her house, the possibility of a relationship or not, his returning home? His relationship with his mother-in-law, with Izzy? The selling of the house, the awkwardness of his sales pitch, his son’s room and changing it, worried that Becca was leaving him? The emotion? The upset at the deletion of the film on the phone?

7. Jason, his age, at school, driving the car, his scruple about whether he was going over the speed limit, the parallel universe book, his drawings, Becca following him, the meetings, sitting on the park bench, their sharing feelings, his graduation, his future? Bringing the book, Howie’s reaction?

8. Becca’s mother, ordinary, her grief at her son’s death, her relationship with her girls, at home, her memories, her story about Mrs Bailey and getting rid of her, her needs?

9. Izzy, drinking, fighting, out on bail, Auggie and his former girlfriend, her pregnancy, going shopping, the incident with the slap in the supermarket and her explanation, her birthday party and the gifts, Auggie and his story?

10. The neighbours, the work friends? Their coming to the party?

11. The final collage, everybody at the party – a film of hope?