Film Analysis Of The Film 'Rabbit Hole'

The film Rabbit Hole was a play written by David Lindsay-Abaire and later filmed and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. The Films main actors include Nicole Kidman as Becca, the mother who lost her son to an accident and is grieving her loss by removing all memories of her son. Aaron Eckhart plays Howie, the grieving father who is handling the loss differently from his wife, which causes tension between the two. Dianne West plays Nat, mother to Becca who also lost a son from a different circumstance. Miles Teller plays Jason, the boy who accidentally ran over the small boy of the grieving parents. Tammy Blanchard plays Izzy, the sister of Becca and they seem to have their own tensions. Lastly, Sandra Oh who plays Gabby, who also lost a child

My interpretation of the absence of direct, full, bright sun is to represent a somber or saddened setting. For example, Becca is outside gardening and there is little sunlight. Another example is when she and Jason meet at the park, the area where they walk through and sit is under la large shaded area. The second thing I noticed was the color of the flowers she was gardening which were not vibrant. Third, the colors of the house inside and out and the lighting was dark. The absence of vibrant colors and bright lighting give a feeling of sadness and depression. Further the set and staging of the rooms in the home were mostly muted, neutral colors. The same color scheme was used in the actors clothing. For example, during the scene where Howie and Becca are in group therapy, their clothing and the clothing of the other members of the group are dark colors. My interpretation of this is that the purpose is to keep the emphasis on the actor’s saddened and grieving emotions. In addition, the characters make-up is also very neutral in

If the actors were to have bright make-up it would give them a livelier look which would go against the feel and emotions of the story. Further, each character was believable in their saddened and grieving states. Not only in the clothing and make-up but in their expressions, and emotions. For example when Becca is sitting in her car watching Jason as he is getting ready to leave for prom. Becca is crying and as she is you can see the veins under her skin pop out and are pronounced more, making the emotions even more realistic. There is also a moment where there is a flashback to when her son was hit by the car. The slow motion effect capturing her reaction was a powerful moment as they flash back and forth in those few moments of that scene. That moment was a gripping scene, making you feel sorry for her, and at the same time anxious to jump in at save her son. Each moment and emotion like this one captures your attention and makes you feel a part of the story. All in all, all the elements such as the characters, the setting, the clothing, the lighting, and the acting, together are create a gripping and captivating