Every Oscars season, there is a star-studded capital-A acting film that brings in all sorts of nominations and accolades, but for all the praise heaped on it, people don't want to see it. Past examples include The Reader or The Savages which have tiny box-office grosses despite A-list stars like Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. This year, Rabbit Hole was the must-see movie that no one wanted to see. There is a very simple explanation for why critics praise these films and yet few people (including this critic) wanted to see these films. The Savages is about elderly parents losing the ability to take care of themselves. The Reader takes on two heavy subjects, sex with a minor and the Holocaust, all in one movie. Rabbit Hole, which was one of 2010's most depressing films, is about a couple whose child was killed by a teen driver. Do the actors give incredible performances? Absolutely. Did I go through an entire box of Kleenex watching it? Yes. Can I recommend it to everyone? No, but that has more to do with the mental well-being of the audience member than the quality of the film.
(Warning: This review contains spoilers.)
Rabbit Hole opens 8 months after the son Danny's death, and Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) are grieving in vastly different ways. Howie stays up late at night watching the last video he took of his son on his cell phone, and Becca chooses to purge the house of everything that reminds her of their son. She takes Danny's drawings off the fridge, takes his clothing to Goodwill, and appears to be moving on with her life. Even the family dog, which Danny chased out into the street on that fateful day, has been kicked out of the house and is living with Becca's mother Nat (Dianne Wiest). Howie tries taking Becca to couple's group therapy led by Gaby (Sandra Oh), but Becca finds the other couples in the group to be more annoying than helpful. As Howie tries harder to hold onto Becca, Becca continues to push Howie, Nat, and her pregnant sister Izzy (Tammy Blanchard) further away. The only person Becca feels like opening up to is the teen driver Jason (Miles Teller) who accidentally killed her son.
The reason why Rabbit Hole is far superior to other tearjerker dramas is that it doesn't take the easy or obvious routes. There are no speeches about angels or God's plan. In fact, Becca is disgusted by the couples in the group who talk about heaven and about how God wanted another angel. She bluntly asks them that if God wanted another angel, why didn't He just make one? He is God after all. He should be capable of making another angel and letting this sweet couple keep their child. Rabbit Hole isn't about finding meaning in Becca and Howie's tragedy. The film is content to observe their grief and how they try to move on, day by day.
There is one scene where Howie and Becca breakdown crying and screaming at each other, but for the most part, Howie and Becca's grief plays out in more subtle day-to-day moments. One of the most prominent for Howie and Becca is the lack of a sex life. Becca still doesn't want to have sex because she is paranoid that Howie is trying to get her pregnant again and replace the child they lost. Howie still attempts to have sex in order to replace the emotional intimacy he does not feel with Becca, and when he can't fine it with Becca, he starts to seek out a relationship with Gaby, smoking pot in her car before group therapy sessons.
The saddest part about Rabbit Hole for me was how Becca and Howie each believe that they are dealing with Danny's death better than the other when in fact they are both dealing with it in equally terribly ways. Becca thinks that she is being strong by pushing away everyone except Jason, but in actuality, she is almost trying to replace Danny with Jason. She sits in her car outside his house and watches Jason leave for prom obviously imagining that it is Danny leaving for prom instead. She pretends that she is alright, but she is far from okay.
Howie is suffering too. The sad irony of Howie is that he fully embraces his sorrow and attends therapy week after week, but he refuses to admit that he feels angry about his son's death. Throughout the film, anger is lurking under the surface and only emerges a few times, most notably when Jason stops by the house. When he lashes out at Jason, he feels justified and refuses to admit that it was an accident. Danny's death was not Jason's fault, but he is the perfect scapegoat for Howie's rage. It isn't until much later in the film that Howie sees his own anger in action and takes responsibility for it. In a particularly heartbreaking scene, Howie takes their dog for a walk, and when the dog disobeys, he yanks on the leash so hard that the dog yelps in pain. At that moment, Howie realizes that he has always laid some of the blame for Danny's death on the dog, and he breaks down sobbing on the sidewalk, holding the dog in his arms.
As you can see, Rabbit Hole has many layers in the script and the performances of the leading actors, and I have to admit that it is a very well executed film. The problem is that I can't wholeheartedly recommend a film that will make the audience feel utterly depressed and put them in the mindset of parents who have lost a child. If you can, I highly recommend seeing Rabbit Hole, but if you are the type to get deeply vested in film characters, Rabbit Hole will hit you like a punch in the gut. Film goers, consider yourselves warned.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
This is a pretty bare bones Blu-ray release. There is an audio commentary by the director, writer, and director of photography, and they included a theatrical trailer and a deleted scene. Considering that Rabbit Hole was an award-winning play before it was a film, I think it would have been a good idea to produce a short featurette on transferring the story from stage to screen.
"Rabbit Hole" is on sale April 19, 2011 and is rated PG13. Drama. Directed by John Cameron Mitchell. Written by David Lindsay-Abaire. Starring Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Oh, Tammy Blanchard.
