Rabbit Hole

Tonight a few of us from MISS went and saw the movie Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. They play bereaved parents of a four year old boy who was killed in a car accident. I wish they would have started the story before he died because it would have given the audience (who haven't experience the death of a child) time to know and fall in love with their beautiful little boy. Instead they start out 8 months after he died which created a safe distance to watch the horror from, emotionally speaking.

Don't get me wrong, I thought overall the movie was good. I definitely want to see it again without being so guarded and ready to judge. I was surprised by the amount of little things they included that were so Right On; Friends become strangers and strangers become friends. Veterans of Group Support. The spousal arguments. Moment in the grocery store. The grief not becoming easier over time, it just changes, becomes bearable over time. Being upset over comparing very different death stories. I don't want to give anything away so I'm not going to finish this long list or give you many details on purpose.

Most importantly, I loved the ending. I had heard previously that it didn't have a "Hollywood Happy Ending" and was excited by that. I wondered how they were going to do it though. Comes down to a conversation, "What do we do now?" "I don't know, but something." Which is so true...there is no "Happy Ending" after losing a child in real life. But we all have to do something, find some reason to live. Sometimes that "something" is simply, waiting it out until tomorrow.

My biggest complaint about the movie, is it only scratched the surface as far as the emotions go. I think Aaron Eckhart did an AMAZING job! I believed him immediately, it was real and raw. I didn't really get that from Nicole, she played a great sad person, but she never really "Went There" fully. I don't understand why everyone keeps buzzing about her for the Oscar because I don't think she deserves it. But that's just my opinion.

I think everyone should see this film, especially those friends and family members of bereaved parents. It does it's best to help you understand the insanity we woke up to the moment our child died.

Becca and Howie Corbett are a happily married couple whose perfect world is forever changed when their young son, Danny, is killed by a car. Becca, an executive-turned-stay-at-home mother, tries to redefine her existence in a surreal landscape of well-meaning family and friends. Painful, poignant, and often funny, Becca's experiences lead her to find solace in a mysterious relationship with a troubled young comic-book artist, Jason - the teenage driver of the car that killed Danny. Becca's fixation with Jason pulls her away from memories of Danny, while Howie immerses himself in the past, seeking refuge in outsiders who offer him something Becca is unable to give. The Corbetts, both adrift, make surprising and dangerous choices as they choose a path that will determine their fate.