Howie (Aaron Eckhart) and Becca (Nicole Kidman) live in suburbia. They have experienced one of life's greatest tragedies — the sudden, accidental death of their four-year-old son, Danny, who was hit by a car when he chased the family dog into the street. Becca is trying to return to her normal life by laboring in the garden where she hopes to find renewal. She and her husband haven't had sex since the accident and they are unraveling in separate orbits. Howie is obsessed, replaying a cell-phone video of Danny.

Howie and Becca are attending a group therapy session on grief but Becca explodes when she hears from a member of the group that God took their loved one. Howie decides to go alone next time and he draws closer to Gaby (Sandra Oh), one of the leaders of the group who uses marijuana to calm herself and to deal with the difficulties of being a "professional wallower." Meanwhile Becca has several secret meetings with the teenage boy (Miles Teller) who was driving the car that killed her son. She enables him to let go of any guilt he has in regard to the accident. It is sad to see how far apart Howie and Becca are.

This family trauma has also seeped into the relationships with Becca's birth family. Her mother, Nat (Dianne Wiest), has taken Danny's dog and is very concerned about Becca's mood swings. However, when Nat talks about the death of a junkie uncle, her distraught daughter is deeply offended by the comparison to Danny's death. Becca also has many awkward moments with her pregnant younger sister Izzy (Tammy Blanchard), where the strain of past rivalry rears its ugly head. But the most explosive scene in Rabbit Hole comes when Becca and Howie smash through the walls they have erected and confront the hurt, the blame, and the anger they feel toward each other. This comes after Becca starts dispensing with all of Danny's clothes, drawings, and other possessions. Howie thinks that she purposely erased the video that he cherishes more than anything else in his life. He demands that Danny's dog return home to be under his care.

Rabbit Hole is a powerful and heart-affecting drama about the many shades of grief and the insidious ways it can rock the foundations of any marriage. John Cameron Mitchell directs from a script by David Lindsay-Abaire based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz has written: "Grief and pain are dreadful, and to live free from them is to be truly blessed. But the truth is, we usually have no choice when it comes to loss. Eventually, it visits every one of us. And there is no magic or blessing that is found in this curse. There is no cosmic trick. But there is a different approach to facing our suffering — one that can lead not only to respite and relief from our pain and anguish, but also to an unexpected sort of wholeness."

Dealing with grief is a hard and lonely battle that has no discernable deadline. Thanks to the convincing and raw performances by Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, we empathize with the broken hearts of Becca and Howie. We watch them hit bottom and begin a new journey together, back to love and hope. There is nothing miraculous that takes place, but there are signs that they are willing to open to change and personal renewal.

Special features on the DVD include deleted scenes and an audio commentary with the director John Cameron Mitchell, the writer, and the director of photography.