There isn't much deep-digging to figure out what this movie is about. There are no buried subtleties or intricate explorations tucked beneath the surface. It wears exactly what it's about right there in the open, for everyone to see. But it does what it does with such a (mostly) deft touch that it ends up being an unexpectedly moving experience.
Most movies of the Family Tries To Survive Tragedy variety pretend at some greater knowledge of the human condition -- existing as a way to demonstrate to you what it must be like. There's an insistence to their tone that is off-putting, to say nothing of the unshakeable feeling of exploitation that usually comes with it. Rabbit Hole is not these things. The main reason that it works, other than the unified strength of the performances (even Nichole Kidman!), is that it seems more interested in asking questions than in offering answers. It feels aware of itself as not necessarily real, but like something that might be real. It's exploratory, as if it's just as unsure of where it's going as we are. This feeling of spontaneity, even if one acknowledges its artifice, makes it easier to forgive moments that might seem trite or possibly too neat. And there are a few, but they tend to fade from memory as the film's strengths grow sharper. I wish I'd seen it last year, so that my list of favorites wouldn't seem quite so anemic.
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