Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howard (Aaron Eckhart) are going through the worst nightmare any parent can experience: the loss child of their child. Four year old Danny (Phoenix List) ran into the street to catch his dog and was hit by a teen driver. Now, how to deal with the unbearable grief? Seems from this film and others covering the same territory, each person has his or her own way of suffering or coping, and just being in the proximity of a spouse exacerbates the process, causing a rift that challenges the marriage. 'Rabbit Hole,' which explores this issue, is a walk in the park compared to, for instance,'Morning' (2010) starring Jean Tripplehorn and Leland Orser. Their grief is so extreme that both should check into mental hospitals due to total breakdowns and being a threat to themselves. Of course, watching their suffering, he with extreme deprivation and agoraphobia, she desperately trying anything including sex with strangers, is much more interesting to watch than a stay in a hospital and drug therapy. In 'The Greatest' (2009), with Susan Sarandon (queen of all grieving mothers for her performance in 'In the Valley of Elah' 2007) and Pierce Brosnan, their son was an adult and his pregnant girlfriend arrives on their doorstep offering a replacement. Naturally, they have mixed feelings about this development.
Kidman and Eckhart in 'Rabbit Hole' offer a more easily identifiable response to their loss. They try to accept each others process, try group sessions with other grieving parents, try reconciling with the offending driver who accidentally killed their son, and just cry and vent. The audience will feel their pain and identify with their plight. But I can't help but wonder the aim of such a genre -- grieving parents. It can't be called entertainment; perhaps it is cathartic for grieving parents. I don't know. This screenplay was adapted from the stage play by the same author, David Lindsay-Abair, and won a Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2007 as well as several Tony Award nominations. Fortunately for him, Abair has no personal experience of the loss of a child. Still, the subject of offspring death has been a career booster in the past. Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize winning 'Buried Child' (1979) catapulted his career as well.
John Cameron Mitchell, known for his outrageous and powerful, 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' (play 1998 and film 2003), which he co-wrote and starred in, takes a totally different direction from German transgender rock singer to grieving suburban American couple. Yet, this topic hits even closer to home, his having experienced the death of his 4 year old brother when he was 14. His own family's reaction to the film does not corroborate that this genre film actually does help grieving parents. The Mitchell family didn't give the group hug he had hoped for; they didn't experience any catharsis. So, be warned -- the fine performances by the cast, the heartbreaking story line, the pain and loss may be all that is offered by 'Rabbit Hole,' perhaps nothing more.
Rabbit Hole
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Writer: David Lindsay-Abair play and screenplay
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller, Sandra Oh
Rated: PG-13
Time: 92 min.
Opening December 25 at the Embarcadero Cinema in San Francisco
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