The Rabbit Hole is Not a Dark Hole

Becca and Howie Corbett (played by Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart respectively) are attempting, somewhat futilely, to reconstruct their lives and return to normalcy in suburbia after a tragic and sudden loss that no one should have to deal with. Just eight months before we meet them, the Corbetts were a seemingly happy, All-American family - they had everything they could have ever wanted. But now, they are tragically broken - Becca cannot find comfort in the everyday while her husband can and that is particularly frustrating to both of them.

I found a number of things rewarding about this movie. The acting was decent - Kidman is not one of my favorite actresses - I think that she is very stiff and her acting is very forced. However, she did a pretty good job in this movie portraying a grief stricken woman that is grieving the loss of her son. Aaron Eckhart was absolutely phenomenal though and pretty powerful. I also enjoyed how completely authentic it was and how it put itself out there. It would have been very easy for the movie to be smarmy and just like an after school special about how awful it is for parents to lose children and how parents love their children but the movie didn't go that way at all. It was powerful and emotional without being over the top. It encapsulated what it must be like to have to bury a child and I found myself crying at various points as I began to empathize with each character at different points in the grieving process. The movie was able to encapsulate the complexity of the emotions that undercut something such as this.

For a movie that deals with such intense issues, it does a masterful and wonderful job that I would highly recommend renting and then owning. Amazing!