At a special screening at the in Los Angeles, viewers were treated to a special night as The Wrap previewed the indie film “Rabbit Hole” and provided a Q&A with two of the film’s stars Aaron Eckhart and Sandra Oh. Both were effusive about what a blessing it was to work on such an extraordinary film and invited everyone to appreciate the story of love-lost and found.
“Rabbit Hole” is perhaps the saddest film one will see all year; but it is also perhaps one of the most beautiful. It is a perfect balance of grief combined with hope. It is also visually stunning as the entire film feels as if it were painted on a canvas with lush greens, whites and delicate infusion of color as necessary. Set primarily in the magnificent, old Hampton’s style home in northern New York, the stately home showcases the parents of a young boy who met with a tragic accident. Rather than dwell on the fresh period of grief, the film invites us into their lives eight months later.
Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart portray the grief-stricken parents, Becca and Howie, who are coping with moving-on in their lives the best way they know how. In between suffocating grief counseling and blatant attempts to ignore the white elephant occupying their lives, Becca and Howie attempt to go about living their normal lives. It is their jolting attempts to figure out how to do that which provides moments of levity mixed with raw pain. But by far the most touching thread woven into the film is Becca’s attempts to reach out to the young teenager who also shares in their grief.
Portrayed by Miles Teller, Jason is a teenager haunted by a moment’s recklessness. To watch as he and Becca bond over Jason’s half-finished comic-book shows us that they are trying to heal and to forgive themselves for the “what might have beens.” Life at its worst is an open-wound, but at its best it is simply forgiveness and love. Neither is so easy to attain, but with sheer determination, all three of these characters strive to heal.
Encountered along the way are Becca’s similarly grief-stricken mother, played delightfully by Dianne Wiest, and her sister, Tammy Blanchard. As they try to surround Becca with their love, their attempts feel helpless; but even Becca understands that some love is better than no love. On the flip-side, Sandra Oh portrays one of the grief group members who clings to her loss in order to give her life meaning.
The film does not answer the question of whether it is better to cling to what has been lost or to let go, but it does show that for each person, healing from such a grievous loss is a different path. Kidman and Eckhart’s finely nuanced performances are scintillating. They wear their characters’ grief with dignity and yet with compassion, simultaneously showing that underneath it all is a strong foundation of love.
“Rabbit Hole” will squeeze your heart, but it will caress it as well. If you can appreciate a fine film which covers the spectrum of emotion, then you will enjoy “Rabbit Hole.” “Rabbit Hole” opens in limited release on December 17, 2010.
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Comments
Sounds like a sad film. Good article, I'm glad I read this before seeing the film. Being a mom with sons, I'm not in a big hurry to see something that would make me cry like a baby and want to smother my kids with love and affection.
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