When you go down this rabbit hole there’s no adventure in wonderland. Rabbit Hole deals with a couple coming to grips over the death of their child. Nicole Kidman carries the movie in a state of emotional anguish matched by Aaron Eckhart as her husband.

True the film delivers on a dramatic level and director John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) displays a subtle hand with editing and narrative even though he’s outside his established genre (cf. Hedwig or Shortbus). However Rabbit Hole can’t escape the theme of a dead child that permeates its story no matter how slick the production.

There are scenes particular to this subject played out in expert detail: the parents attending a support group, or a sequence where one spouse brings the person who was behind the wheel of the accident vehicle into the house to the chagrin of the other spouse. Rabbit Hole will play well with a sensitive crowd looking for human feelings that explore the aftermath of losing a loved one. For everyone else the experience might prove to be a downer.

- Michael Bergeron