John Cameron Mitchell caused a bit of a kerfuffle with Shortbus a few years ago, but his latest, Rabbit Hole, goes for emotional impact rather than MPAA-baiting shock. He’s attracted the likes of Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest and Aaron Eckhart for this new one, and here’s the UK trailer.

Hedwig and the Angry Itch and Shortbus might not have been everybody’s cup of tea, but he’s certainly a talent to watch. The film is released 4th February in the UK. It definitely looks art-house fare, what with it being based on an award-winning play matching a somber tone, but with its powerful story-line and top notch acting, expect it to get a good write up by critics at the very least. The visuals remind me of Mitchell’s music video he made for Bright Eyes’ This is the First Day of My Life.

Synopsis:

RABBIT HOLE is a vivid, hopeful, honest and unexpectedly witty portrait of a family searching for what remains possible in the most impossible of all situations. Becca and Howie Corbett (NICOLE KIDMAN and AARON ECKHART) are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. Just eight months ago, they were a happy suburban family with everything they wanted. Now, they are caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage from which they cannot escape. While Becca finds pain in the familiar, Howie finds comfort.
The shifts come in abrupt, unforeseen moments. Becca hesitantly opens up to her opinionated, loving mother (DIANNE WIEST) and secretly reaches out to the teenager involved in the accident that changed everything (MILES TELLER); while Howie lashes out and imagines solace with another woman (SANDRA OH). Yet, as off track as they are, the couple keeps trying to find their way back to a life that still holds the potential for beauty, laughter and happiness. The resulting journey is an intimate glimpse into two people learning to re-engage with each other and a world that has been tilted off its axis.