Perhaps the only thing harder than making a movie about young parents riven by grief after losing a child is sitting through one. And for that reason alone, Rabbit Hole won’t make for a particularly cheery night out. But director John Cameron Mitchell — adapting David Lindsay-Abaire’s play — has a surprisingly deft touch with this admittedly downbeat material; he builds dramatic intensity in subtle layers, rather than slapping it on with a trowel. Rabbit Hole is so unassuming, in fact — it’s filled with delicately calibrated performances and nuanced moments of connection and disaffection — that the cumulative effect is a bit underwhelming. But you can’t fault Mitchell’s instincts; he’s adamant about understating this material rather than sending it over the top, and that makes all the difference.
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REVIEW: John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole Is Sensitive But Not Bloodless
