Director John Cameron Mitchell uses his theater background in order to create his adaptation of "Rabbit Hole" from the David Lindsay-Abaire 2005 play with the same name. He teams up with Academy Award winning actress Nicole Kidman and one of Hollywood's newest stars Aaron Eckhart. Together they play ailing parents Becca and Howie Corbett coping from their sad and depressing loss of their four-year-old son less than a year prior. They had everything a couple could ever want before it was taken away sending them both on a downward spiral of pain and regret. They have been struggling to get anything out of a help group created to help parents get through these types of losses and fail to take it seriously. Instead they both begin growing apart and find their own different ways of coping with their loss. Becca finds an escape in the most unlikely of places in the accidental killer himself Jason (Miles Teller) along with her mother Nat (Dianne Wiest). Howie explores his feelings for another woman Gaby (Sandra Oh). The journey of "Rabbit Hole" is somewhat supernatural and leads the couple to their belief in a happier version of them they once knew and that still exists somewhere.
"Rabbit Hole" captures its power from simplicity. Mitchell's simple direction style combined with the heartfelt performances of Kidman and Eckhart flawlessly adapts the play to the film medium. This makes it easy for audiences to feel the pain of the film and takes the audiences on the journey to find light in the darkest of places. John Cameron Mitchell lives his statement, "My job was to reduce as much friction as I could for the actors to get to their characters," to a T and consequently allows the audience to get to the characters as well. Kidman has another possible Oscar nomination role with her portrayal of Becca. Eckhart knew what he was getting into when he was cast opposite of Kidman and was not left behind by Kidman's great acting. Aaron Eckhart stated, "When Nicole comes to play, if you're not ready for her, she is going to rip you apart."
The film is very depressing and takes the right mood to be able to enjoy. Mitchell throws the audience right in the middle of the story causing the audience to take a little bit of time to get acclimated to the story. Therefore, the story feels incomplete and even after the ending of the film the story seems incomplete. The film also tries to delve into a alternative supernatural reality creating a very metaphorical and original twist, however, this plot falls on the way side and isn't fully developed.
Mitchell, Kidman and Eckhart bring their A-game to create this low budget Oscar hopeful that will touch your heart and leave you slightly stirred. The concept of alternative reality works very well without losing the pain of the drama that the couple has to deal with. This simple low budget film will have to fight hard to get an Oscar nomination through the lines of bigger well-known films.
"Rabbit Hole" captures its power from simplicity. Mitchell's simple direction style combined with the heartfelt performances of Kidman and Eckhart flawlessly adapts the play to the film medium. This makes it easy for audiences to feel the pain of the film and takes the audiences on the journey to find light in the darkest of places. John Cameron Mitchell lives his statement, "My job was to reduce as much friction as I could for the actors to get to their characters," to a T and consequently allows the audience to get to the characters as well. Kidman has another possible Oscar nomination role with her portrayal of Becca. Eckhart knew what he was getting into when he was cast opposite of Kidman and was not left behind by Kidman's great acting. Aaron Eckhart stated, "When Nicole comes to play, if you're not ready for her, she is going to rip you apart."
The film is very depressing and takes the right mood to be able to enjoy. Mitchell throws the audience right in the middle of the story causing the audience to take a little bit of time to get acclimated to the story. Therefore, the story feels incomplete and even after the ending of the film the story seems incomplete. The film also tries to delve into a alternative supernatural reality creating a very metaphorical and original twist, however, this plot falls on the way side and isn't fully developed.
Mitchell, Kidman and Eckhart bring their A-game to create this low budget Oscar hopeful that will touch your heart and leave you slightly stirred. The concept of alternative reality works very well without losing the pain of the drama that the couple has to deal with. This simple low budget film will have to fight hard to get an Oscar nomination through the lines of bigger well-known films.