Kidman brings her best in ‘Rabbit Hole

Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart and Miles Teller give a trifecta of rich, evocative performances that lift this emotionally challenging film above the fray. Mitchell’s deeply moving film version of the Pulitzer Prize and 2007 Tony award winning play is a jewel, which may well be trampled underfoot by the onslaught of awards seasons offerings vying for theatre space.

So far, Rabbit Hole’s garnered four Independent Spirit award nominations, a Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nod for Kidman’s haunting performance as a mother grieving the accidental death of her son.

Eckhart saves his best work for the final act, but he takes it home, leaving us gutted by his character’s pain. Miles teller, a young actor who shares a tragic connection to Kidman’s Becca, is eerily dead on as her confidante and closest friend.

The film opens as Becca’s gardening. A neighbor comes over and walks on a newly planted seedling, which trips a dark switch in Becca. She has been living in isolation since her son was killed by a driver on the road in front of their house. Friends and neighbors try to lure her back into the world but it’s clear she’s made up her mind to live in a bubble where her son still lives.

Eckhart’s Howie tries valiantly to nudge her back to reality, but nothing works. He’s having his own problems adjusting, spending hours watching videos of his lost boy. Becca’s bitterness spills out at a grief counseling group session, where she challenges members who she sees as wallowing in their grief and storms out. And she has refused sex for eight months.

During her long days, Becca steals away and follows a high schooler in her car. She’s obsessed with the details of his life, and doesn’t look on her actions as strange, they just feel right. Eventually he calls her out and they agree to meet. He is the driver of the car that killed her son.

Mitchell shows a deft touch leading us through the explosive emotions of such a time in a mother’s life. Her pursuit of the highschooler is at first glance, shocking, as things that we don’t understand may look in real life. But Mitchell’s direction and Kidman and Teller’s tender and emotionally charged and yet subtle performances tell the real story.

The supporting actors – Diane Weist, Sandra Oh, and Giancarlo Esposito – have the guts to stand back, match the emotional fragility of the piece and yet bring their characters.

Working with a well-known film story – couple loses child and tries to deal – Rabbit Hole had a lot to overcome to make an impact.

It does the job by staying uniquely intimate, challenging our point of view and purposely taking its time.

The film is a revelation, Kidman had the chance to bring her best game and the audience wins.

35mm drama

Written by John Lindsay-Abaire, based on his play

Directed by John Cameron Mitchell

Runtime: 91 minutes