Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole

Nicole Kidman received her third Best Actress nomination for playing Rebecca Corbett, a grieving mother in the movie Rabbit Hole. Nicole is already an Oscar winner and she did not win any precursor awards for this performance (though she could have, I think), so she doesn't have much chance of winning that Oscar on 27th February. Actually, she doesn't seem to be very obsessed with winning. She's now very relaxed at the award shows and I think she is totally aware that she's not going to win. I admire her for this.

Rabbit Hole is an excellent, excellent movie. It might seem to be boring for the first time, but in fact, it's one of the best movies that I've seen in 2010. It's a very tough and heartbreaking experience though there's stil so many beauty in it. It's based on a very successful Broadway play and the screenplay is simply brilliant and should have received an Oscar nomination. The actors all give excellent performances, especially Aaron Eckhart, Sandra Oh and Dianne Wiest. It was especially delightful to see the return of Wiest to movies. I think she's such a great talent and we should see more of her.

Nicole Kidman (I dare say) gives one of her finest performances here. I always loved her as an actress as she has that special radiation that comes from the stars of the good old days (I think she's very much like Ingrid Bergman, my favorite actress). I love that Nicole's performances are always so subtle, gracious and dignified. She never plays the traditional Oscar baity roles and yet she's obvously someone whose performances are loved by the Academy. Quite probably because she reminds them of the golden days of Hollywood.

When I think of Nicole's work as Rebecca Corbett in Rabbit Hole, one word comes to my mind: dedication. In fact, Nicole was so dedicated to this film and character that it deserves some credit in itself. In every second of the movie, I feel that Kidman believes what she's doing and she's doing this not becuase of the possibility of acclaim and awards. She acts the way she does because she believes in this movie and believes in its message and I can so respect that.

Most of Nicole's performance as Becca is very quiet and subtle but there's so much force inside her and Rebecca's pain is so excellently portrayed by her. This tension throughout the movie is so obvious and it's so captivating. There are some huge outbursts and they are so wonderfully placed in the movie. Whenever the pain becomes undbearable, there's some shouting and it's so comforting for the viewer, I think. This makes the suffering and grief of Rebecca so understandable and real. I bet this wasn't a very easy role for Nicole emotionally and technically.

Although I preferred the more quiet moments to the loud ones, the loud ones are not bad either. Her fight scene with Aaron Eckhart over that video is so heartbreaking. We see a more sensitive side of Rebecca and her emotions are erupting just like a volcano and it gives the scene some really heart-wrenching weight.

As I said, those quiet moments are just brilliant. First of all, Nicole works so well together with Miles Teller (the guy playing Jason). Their scenes at the park are so great in their subtlety and calmness. Those subtle emotions and faces they give us are just remarkable. It's so interesting that Becca is full of rage and anger but she still has some kind of a relationship with the person who caused her son's death. Also, Nicole's scenes with Dianne Wiest are just excellent. That laugh between them was so incredibly natural and deeply human. I loved when Becca asks her mother if the pain will ever disappear. That moment is one of the most emotional scenes in this movie.

Still, the scene that absolutely kills me is the one in the car where Becca recalls the death of her son and starts sobbing and crying. Nicole's chilling there and it's an extremely heartbreaking moment. Although I wouldn't say that the whole performance blew me away, that scene most certainly did.

So, I can say that Nicole Kidman gave a very heartbreaking and beautiful performance as Rebecca Corbett. Although it did not blow my socks off, it was a very emotional and wonderful experience for me. Nicole approached this character very subtly and as a result, we got an excellent performance by her, which is not only for her fans. Exceptional work.

This is the best rating for her.

What do you think?