Rabbit Hole

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to see the Queensland Theatre Company production of Rabbit Hole, a then brand-new play by David Lindsay-Abaire. It was a fantastic production, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, because it played to the innate strengths of theatre. We bore witness to the intimate and shocking repercussions affected onto the lives of Becca and Howie following the tragic death of their young Danny. The show was a masterpiece, and so when a film adaptation was announced, I was slightly concerned. Could the film-makers manage to successfully translate such a powerful piece of live theatre into the cinematic form, where the world of Becca and Howie is not seen with our own eyes, but rather through the single eye of a camera lens? Thankfully, I need not have worried. Given David Lindsay-Abaire himself was involved, and that lead actress Nicole Kidman was clearly motivated enough by the power of the film to also be an Executive Producer, what we end up with in the film version of Rabbit Hole is the same story being told, just in a different way - but equally as successful.

The biggest change that comes with the film version is the broadening of the scope of the original narrative. Instead of an intimate focus on just Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart), we now also have a host of additional characters that weren’t present in the original theatre text. These include the addition of a parent support group that Becca and Howie are attending as the film opens, and through which Howie finds solace with fellow griever Gabby (Sandra Oh) via the use of a certain substance. This shift in focus from just the problem that Becca and Howie are dealing with, and to remind the audience that these two are not alone in their grieving, marks a very strong shift away from the intimacy of the stage production. This broadening of the canvas, as it were, is effective in differentiating the film production, and helping it to make it very much its own beast.

A number of the scenes from the original theatre script remain intact, and it’s a nice touch to be able to spot these, and these do re-inforce the involvement of the original writer in the film, but I guess in general how much the makers of this film wanted to capture the essence of what made the original Rabbit Hole so good.

All of the original characters from the stage production are present, and these include the pregnant sister Izzy (Tammy Blanchard), Becca’s Mother Nat (Dianne Wiest), and of course the poor teenager who killed Danny, Jason (Miles Teller). The casting of this production is very strong indeed, and there is very little not to like from what has been undertaken here by the production team. Kidman and Eckhart are excellent choices for Becca and Howie, and in some respects its hard to see how either character could have been played so brilliantly by anyone else. Miles Teller turns in a very strong performance as Jason, especially given the heavy material that he has to deal with during the script.

The cinematography employed by the film is simple and effective, and never does Cinematographer Frank G. DeMarco go for any overt cinematic flourishes with which to tell the story. This keeps the film in line with the original stage production, whereby the entire story is focussed on the characters, and their stories. This is where the film truly succeeds. Similarly, the musical score by Anton Sanko is simple but effective, and never becomes too overpowering of the narrative or the performances. It’s there, it does what it must do, then gets out of the way of the actors. Which is what a good score should do.

Overall, I have to be honest and say that while I was initially worried about viewing a filmed version of Rabbit Hole, I am pleased this version has been made. It has retained the integrity of the original piece, with the same story being told. It’s just that the emphasis has been shifted slightly, the canvas on which the story is told has been broadened, and it’s nice to know that neither change has resulted in a less-than-satisfactory film adaptation. Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart are well cast as Becca and Howie, bringing a powerful and emotional set of performances to the table. Make sure you rent this on DVD or Blu-ray when it comes out in a few months time - you won’t regret it.