Does one ever fully cope and survive the death of a child? Probably not. Sure there are attempts to survive and move forward and everyone uses different mechanisms to go on.Six months ago Becca, played by a luminous Nicole Kidman has had to deal with the death of her four year old son who was accidentally struck by a car while he ran onto the street following his dog who had broken loose.
No one will dispute the fact that Kidman is an excellent actress and her tall and regal physique seems to always make her directors dress her up prettily and give her somewhat of a static look. But in Rabbit Hole which will hopefully win her an Oscar nod, she looks a little disheveled, beautiful and of course way more human than in Australia or Moulin Rouge. Becca has become emotionally withdrawn and in a robotic type of manner, runs on her treadmill, cooks dinner, cleans the house and tends to the flowers in her garden which get smashed by her clumsy neighbour in the opening sequence!
She can’t really cope with her husband Howie’s (another fabulous part for Aaron Eckhart) emotional way of dealing with their loss. Howie wants to keep little Danny around him by watching videos of the boy every night on his mobile phone whereas Becca is doing just the opposite and erasing the memories of her son which surround her in their home. She takes off Danny’s paintings which were stuck on the fridge door and gives away his clothes much to the dismay of her husband.
But the couple has or had until tragedy struck, a solid marriage, so they are going the usual way, including grief therapy counseling with couples who have gone through the same situation as them.
And this is what is so good in Rabbit Hole, a film which spelt out despair the minute it started, yet has terribly funny moments during the most tragic situations. Becca tells off a grieving parent during the therapy session and refuses to go back; and Howie grows close to another grieving parent played by Sandra Oh, and, both get stoned and laugh their heads off during the session.
Diane Wiest who plays Nat, Becca’s mother and Tammy Blanchard as her chaotic and pregnant sister Izzy are wonderful in their respective roles. They are both anxious and a little scared to say anything to Becca especially to announce good news. This is often the case when confronted with people who have suffered terrible loss; there is a sense of guilt expressing joy of any kind. Becca also regularly belittles her mother who compares the loss of her grown son to drugs, to Danny’s death; hence also making the point that the loss of a loved child whatever his age or whatever the situation remains as painful for the parents.
But despite all the sadness, Rabbit Hole is one of the most hopeful films to have been made recently. Temptation is resisted and families stick together despite all the differences because mutual understanding and respect is what overrules all other emotions. At first baffled and angry at Becca’s strange friendship with Jason, the troubled high school boy who knocked down Danny, Howie slowly understands that her grieving process needs to include him in it.
Director John Cameron Mitchell has deliberately chosen to stay away from the cliché mushy possibilities that a story like Rabbit Hole could have offered making it therefore not a great movie but a good one, where beautifully directed actors are able to show off their talent while the film also conveys a message of hope; that love, marriage and family still mean something in today’s society.
The Sunday Leader - By Sumaya Samarasinghe
