Saturday, April 20, 2013

R is for Rabbit Hole


RABBIT HOLE

USA 2010
Running Time: 92 minutes
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Sandra Oh
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Screenplay: David Lindsay-Abaire
Cinematography: Frank G. DeMarco

Everything about this film seems wrong at the outset.  The director is John Cameron Mitchell, the man behind the flamboyantly fabulous Hedwig and the Angry Inch.  The lead is Nicole Kidman, an actress whose iciness can only be beaten by Tilda Swinton.  It’s hard to even consider her as the grieving mother in this powerful film, yet somehow the very brittle coolness that turns me off her usually works. 

This is a woman shutting emotion out of her life.  Unlike most stories where the man is eager to move on, and the woman can’t let go, here the roles are reversed.  Aaron Eckhart’s husband is grieving and needy, but can’t get this through to a wife who has cut herself off from everything as a means of coping with her loss.  To try and make sense of it, she reaches out to the boy responsible for her son’s death.

I didn’t love this film.  It was so raw and real it felt voyeuristic to be watching it.  Yet its very rawness is what makes it work.  It’s no fun being thrust into the lives of these overwhelmingly sad individuals, especially when they seem incapable of change.  I won’t give away the ending, but let me just say, there is a spark of hope.  And if you can stop staring at the bizarre plastic surgery Nic appears to have had around her mouth, you will certainly find something to enjoy about this portrayal of the separation that comes with grief.

10 comments:

  1. Sad movies aren't for me. There's too much sadness in the world as it is. Nicole aka Nicold can be rather hard to like in films, but she's a talented actress. :-)

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  2. Nicole usually turns me off of movies right away. I'm glad I didn't waste money on this one!
    Connie
    A to Z-ing to the end
    Peanut Butter and Whine

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  4. Interestingly, I've never seen or even heard of this movie.

    http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

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  5. Sounds like quite a depressing, yet very good, movie. Sort of like Monster's Ball or Requiem for a Dream.

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  6. Hi...new follower here. I prefer movies more upbeat, but have always liked Nicole Kidman as an actress. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  7. I don't even remember hearing about this movie. I don't mind sad movies, at all, but can take or leave Nicole Kidman. Thanks for the review.

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  8. Not a big fan of Nicole Kidman, as you say, she's too icy! Thanks for the review.
    Thank you for visiting my blog.

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  9. Interesting A to Z concept! And looking through the films you have picked, I see myself wondering which of them I should watch cause I don't think I've seen but a couple!

    Hope you have a chance to check out my A to Z too, I'm writing about agriculture!

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    1. I just realized it defaulted to my Google account instead of my blog -- you can find me at http://janiceperson.com :)

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