Dianne Wiest: So Good
I thought "Rabbit Hole" was a really good movie. Not great and I have a few quibbles (i.e. the way too perfect home).
Kidman was really good and showed what a gifted actress she can be.
But Dianne Wiest was just outstanding. Like so many of her performances, she effortlessly manages to nail her characters without ever being phony or actress-y. Her scene with Kidman in the basement when Becca asks her if the pain ever goes away was beautiful. It's in the quotes section on imdb but I think its worth copying here:
Becca: Does it ever go away?
Nat: No, I don't think it does. Not for me, it hasn't - has gone on for eleven years. But it changes though.
Becca: How?
Nat: I don't know... the weight of it, I guess. At some point, it becomes bearable. It turns into something that you can crawl out from under and... carry around like a brick in your pocket. And you... you even forget it, for a while. But then you reach in for whatever reason and - there it is. Oh right, that. Which could be awful - not all the time. It's kinda...
[deep breath]
Nat: not that you'd like it exactly, but it's what you've got instead of your son. So, you carry it around. And uh... it doesn't go away. Which is...
Becca: Which is what?
Nat: Fine, actually.
That exchange made me understand not only how to deal with something tragic like losing a child but how to handle a lot of things. The writer certainly should be credited but it's Wiest's reading that gives it the impact. Just terrific.