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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Rabbit Hole (Film)

by Mark Demetrius | February 15, 2011 10:01 | Edited February 15, 2011 10:02

Brilliantly scripted and well acted, this painful and often funny drama avoids cliché and feels true to life.

The strengths of this film about a couple devastated by the death of their child lie as much in what it avoids as in what it contains. Rabbit Hole is not predictable, trite, mawkish, or anything else remotely like the kind of "Issue Of The Week" telemovie that so often gets dished up on this kind of theme. It's brilliantly scripted, and uncannily well acted - especially by the two leads. It's also dry, bitter, raw, moving and occasionally - believe it or not - pretty funny. 

 

Aaron Eckhart and the Oscar nominated Nicole Kidman play Howie and Becca Corbett, a (presumably loving) husband and wife whose lives have been ripped apart by the loss - eight months before the movie begins - of their four-year-old son, who was struck down by a car when he ran onto the road. Nothing they have done, or go on to do, seems able to even begin to heal their grief. Relatives try to help, or to empathise, but to no avail - notably Becca's mother, Nat (Dianne Wiest), with whom she has a warm but fractious relationship. "What if there is a god?" says Nat. To which Becca replies, "Then he's a sadistic prick."

 

Then there are the support group meetings, comprised of fellow grieving parents. Howie sees merit in them, just as he does in holding on to tangible reminders of his son, but Becca is unimpressed. They're both struggling, and both confused. Throw in the appearance of a teenager (Miles Teller) who was involved in the fatal accident, and an intriguing incidental theme about parallel universes, and it makes for a rich mix.

Rabbit Hole is a great drama. Its key scenes don't all involve high octane pivotal moments, but it's all the more credible for that. This is a film for adults - in a good way.