There’s a general consensus that the loss of a loved one is one of the most devastating and confusing times in a person’s life. In terms of mourning, one could proceed to grieve through the known five stages or simply in whichever way is most endurable. In Howie and Becca’s case, however, we are reminded that all people, no matter the circumstance, grieve in different ways.
In “Rabbit Hole,” we focus on Howie (Aaron Eckhart) and Becca (Nicole Kidman), a prosperous couple, more than able to provide for a large family and furnish their home to the likes of a “Pottery Barn” spread. But the untimely death of their 4-year-old son Danny changes their entire world.
They begin attending group therapy meetings for couples who have suffered a similar loss. Becca finds the sessions utterly ridiculous, and Howie adamantly tries to seek solace from them. Both seem to be on different wavelengths, dealing with Danny’s death through opposing methods.
While Howie strives to keep the memory of Danny alive through tangible things, Becca hastily suggests the pair sell their home and begin anew. Howie wants nothing to do with the teenage boy who struck Danny with his car. Becca decides reach out to the boy named Jason (Miles Teller), without her husband’s knowledge. Soon, Becca and Jason begin meeting regularly in an effort to get to know each other better. She doesn’t blame him, reiterating it was nobody’s fault, but the mutual guilt lingers overhead.
In what could have easily been a role depicting an icily dejected woman mourning the loss of her child, Kidman is nurturing and simplistic. Surely, this is one of her best performances to date, as we are so used to witnessing the accentuation of her svelte and striking demeanor onscreen.
Eckhart, too, elongates his range as a conflicted father, consumed with the uncertainty of his and Becca’s future. But Kidman performs with ease, demonstrating veracity that acutely embodies the complexity of the guilt and confusion Danny’s death has generated.
Adapted from the play by David Lindsay-Abaire, “Rabbit Hole” delves deep into one family’s dynamic amidst an unthinkable occurrence. It’s tragic and morose, but at the same time, the story incorporates humor in peculiar situations, perhaps in an effort to emulate the erratic emotions Howie and Becca experience. In a subtle way, the film is a therapy session in itself, immersing the audience in the couple’s grief and teaching them there is no concrete solution to a problem such as this.
In a scene where Jason shows Becca his comic book entitled “Rabbit Hole,” he suggests the possible existence of parallel universes, places in which we exist with different lives. Becca likes the idea; she would be happy in another universe, free of pain and sadness. So she holds onto that notion as she progresses in reality, but maybe one day, she and Howie could be happy in reality, too.
“Rabbit Hole” opens Friday at Ragtag Cinema.
