Rabbit Hole

In Rabbit Hole, director John Cameron Mitchell and screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire (adapting his own play of the same name) effectively capture the spectrum of emotions that accompany a tragic loss. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart are exceptional as Becca and Howie, respectively, a grieving couple eight months removed from the accidental death of their young son. Becca shuns traditional coping methods, leaving the support group Howie frequents and avoiding social interactions, while he finds solace in routine. As Becca struggles to move on, she is forced to confront her grief head on when the teenage driver (Miles Teller) of the car that killed their child is thrust back into her life. Just as Mitchell avoids the clichés that could easily overwhelm a plot of this nature, so too do the mourning parents, who seek their own untraditional coping mechanisms, with Eckhart, in particular, expertly balancing the raw emotions of losing a son with moments of disarming humor. Dianne Wiest adds a subdued and emotive performance as Becca's mother who, despite also losing a son, strains to effectively comfort her daughter. Rabbit Hole is a story of a broken family trying to mend itself, and though their grief stems from a shared tragedy, Mitchell understands that the mourning process is an intensely individual experience.