Rabbit Hole

Watching a married couple wallow in grief over their child’s death for an hour and a half hardly seems like the most appetising way to spend an afternoon, so maybe it is no surprise that Rabbit Hole has been largely ignored cinemagoers. Yet when a film features an Oscar nominated turn by Nicole Kidman and is based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play, it should be, despite its bleak outlook, at least an interesting piece, even if it appears to be obvious awards’ bait.

The most obvious thing to say about Rabbit Hole is that it is very much Nicole Kidman’s project: not only does she have the film’s biggest and most rewarded role, but she has also produced the film, which she was clearly passionate about. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but this does lead into one of the project’s central problems, in that it is very much an actor’s piece, there to showcase their talent rather than telling the story to its greatest effect, with the camera fixated with its leads and very little else. Although the performances are given every opportunity to shine and indeed they do, the story does not seem to flow as well as it might. The acting is very strong, however, with Kidman giving a touching and convincing portrayal of a woman in grief, while Aaron Eckhart as her husband is, despite a lack of awards’ nominations, just as good as he struggles and quietly tries to suppress his confused anger.

So the story does remain interesting as we are captivated by its leads but the fact that it never becomes cinematic proves a problem, with it feeling very much like the play it is based upon rather then something that needs to be projected. Despite the fact that they have expanded original source, as we meet a range of new characters rather than just the five that appeared in the original play and the film has multiple settings rather than just the grieving couple’s home, it feels that the house is very much at its heart and it never really seems to move outside a very enclosed environment, which weakens the film’s effect. That said, the dialogue is rather good, bringing across the tension of the individuals, their dilemmas and problems, extremely well and crucially without it ever becoming overbearingly depressing. But does so in a manner that is seemingly caged in – while this was probably a deliberate choice to show the claustrophobic effects of grief, it weakens the film structurally.

Rabbit Hole is in the end a deeply flawed but perfectly watchable actor’s piece that, thanks to two fine central performances, is compelling while it lasts. Yet, due to its direction and lack of cinematic appearance, it never expands upon this potential and it feels hard not to cynical and see this as a piece designed to attach awards’ attention.

See Rabbit Hole at City Screen, York. Check out the cinema's website for times and further details.

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