Rabbit Hole

Hollywood loves a subtitle these days, so to help consumers along with the oddly titled Rabbit Hole it might have helped if the studio had re-named it Rabbit Hole: A Study In Grief. Obviously this is a jokey remark, not entitled to belittle the subject matter of the film (that of parents coping with the death of their young son) but it does give a fair description of this film which never escapes from its theatrical roots and thus has a movie of the week feel as to anything more substantial. The parents in question are played by Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart and both do fine work as they try to get their lives back on track whilst consumed with grief. The problem with the film is it’s unclear what director John Cameron Mitchell is trying to say. I haven’t seen the play so are unaware of the differences between that and the film, but if this is just to say how hard it is to accept and cope with such a horrific situation, then, well, the fact that the parents have got upset is hardly unsurprising news is it? Kidman’s contact with the young man who accidentally killed her son may raise a few eyebrows, but this again is hardly an unknown phenomenon in real life. If you want a film that explores this particular subject matter without pushing too many boundaries then you’ll find this an OK watch. It’s frustrating though that these avenues aren’t explored further, an example being Kidman’s discussions with her mother regarding religion, which only constitutes a few lines. Overall, from the low box office returns it’s clear that not many people want to see such a film such as this, but if you do fancy it, a showing on DVD (one of the few times I go against my mission statement!) would be the better outlet in this case.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Good performances from Kidman and Eckhart, but there’s nothing new here regarding this upsetting subject matter. Rating: 5/10.