'Rabbit Hole.' Directed by John Cameron Mitchell.

Produced by: Nicole Kidman.

Screenplay by: David Lindsay-Abaire (based on his play).

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, and Dianne Weist.

Studio: Blossom Films, and Odd Lot Entertainment.

Year: 2010.

Run time: 91 Minutes.

Budget: $5 Million.

Gross Revenue: $1, 723, 700.

When the Tom Cruise vs. Nicole Kidman war was waging in the years following their divorce, I was always on Cruise’s side. Regardless of his silly religion, he was always good in whatever he was in. Sure, he might be a follower of the great Lord Xenu (or is Xenu the villain?), but he is also willing to make fun of himself-- as evidenced by his role in Tropic Thunder. Kidman, on the other hand, seldom gives a really good performance. At her best, she is good, and at her worst she hams it up like a cop giving a speeding ticket. I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed her in this little film about a couple grieving the death of their son.

I’ve always liked this kind of movie. I think that the best drama is the kind that occurs to upper class people when things don’t go according to their plans. You see, wasps have everything planned out: Married by twenty-five, kids by thirty, etc. And if something happens to disrupt these plans, the wasp begins to realise that he/she is not the centre of the universe, and that the world isn’t just cruel, but horribly indifferent to their hedonistic lifestyle. This all makes for great drama. You get characters doing things that they wouldn’t normally do, saying things they wouldn’t normally say, and basically just having crazy existential moments of brilliant, yet disturbing clarity that their McFriends just don’t understand.

The spawn of Eckhart and Kidman was hit by a car when it chased a dog out onto the street. The driver of the car was just a regular teenage kid, who “...might of been doing 32...” in a 30 zone, and who draws comic books. How do we know all this? Well, because Kidman and he become friends throughout the course of the movie. This, I thought, was a really great touch, and it makes for great drama. Will Kidman eventually snap and hit the teenage boy? Or will she freakishly try and adopt him to replace the spawn she has lost? You’ll just have to watch.

Nothing too outrageous is done in terms of film-making technique here. It’s a meat and potatoes picture. It all works really well, and the ending is really quite hopeful. You get the sense that Kidman and Eckhart have a lot of things they need to talk through, but that they really do love each other. Eckhart is competent in his role, as is Dianne Weist as Kidman’s mother (who may, or may not be an alcoholic). Kidman is nominated for Best Actress for this, but she better start practising her ‘I’m so happy for Annette Benning’ face, because she’s going home empty handed-- if only because she already has a statuette for The Hours. Speaking of Oscars, where is the Best Supporting Actor nomination for the teenage kid in this? He’s sublime.

Three and a half stars: