Writer: Anne Jamaludin

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Watch this if you liked: “Birth”, “The Hours”, “The Forgotten”

"The Rabbit Hole" is a drama that tries to explore the ways of mourning and grieving. It follows the story of the happily married Corbetts, Howie (Aaron Eckhart) and his wife Becca (Nicole Kidman) whose picture perfect family turns upside down following the death of their young son, Danny. From there on, the Corbetts struggle to overcome their loss and both of them instead of consoling each other, find comforts outside their home. Becca with a young aspiring comic artist named Jason, who happens to be the teenage driver that ran over Danny. While Howie seeks companionship and understanding support from Gaby, a woman who also enrolled in the support group program who helps parents who have lost their children.

The plot is poignant, whereas it touches the real-life issues any married couples would face out there especially when dealing with the loss of their only child to a reckless accident. Instead of comforting each other, Becca and Howie silently blame the other person while the audience will see how a woman mourns their loss by being in denial. For Howie, being a man who is realistic; chooses to settle with memories they made with Danny and try to look forward to a better future, perhaps by having another child or in a way starting all over again which is the total opposite of Becca's desires. The message is without a doubt clear; everyone has the power to choose to be happy, enjoy what life still has to offer or not being happy and let the past drags them down for as long as they allow it to be.

Kidman's portrayal as Becca shows her calibre as an award-winning actress although the writer could not help but feel that Kidman is too comfortable with her tragic wife/mother/lover roles that she becomes naturally good at it. Eckhart is plausible as the suffering father who misses his son and a husband who longs for his wife. Dianne Weist's acting as the patient, supportive and loving mother of Becca will move the audience with her soft-spoken words. In short, the cast selection for "The Rabbit Hole" is well-listed and befitting the multiple nominations it receives.

This is a positive dramatized movie version of "Chicken Soup For The Parent's Soul" and recommended to all drama lovers, parents who love their children very much as well as the grieving souls who need to seek inspiration and consolation on the silver screen.

Cinema Online, 22 February 2011