TIFF 2010 Buyer’s Club: #1. John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole

And here we have it – the top twenty acquisition titles that will be made available at the 2010 Toronto Int. Film Festival — and that’s only from the titles that are actually being shown. Looking at the list below, there is a little something for everyone: feel good films, offbeat comedies, specialty genre items, fact based thrillers and then probable award mention stuff that take up the top four spots. Redford, Dan Rush and Dustin Lance Black’s directorial debuts and my number one pick below should see a swarm of interest, but no title comes into the fest with the kind of “mega hype” of say, The Wrestler from a couple of years back, and that one was actually shown in Venice and fairly quickly. Here’s the breakdown once again:

20. Justin Chadwick – The First Grader
19. The Bang Bang Club (Steven Silver)
18. John Carpenter’s The Ward (John Carpenter)
17. Janie Jones (David M. Rosenthal)
16. Vanishing on 7th Street (Brad Anderson)
15. Ceremony (Max Winkler)
14. Trust (David Schwimmer)
13. Passion Play (Mitch Glazer)
12. Dirty Girl (Abe Sylvia)
11. Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt)
10. Barney’s Version (Richard J. Lewis)
9. Beginners (Mike Mills)
8. SUPER (James Gunn)
7. Brighton Rock (Rowan Joffe)
6. Henry’s Crime (Malcolm Venville)
5. The Whistleblower (Larysa Kondracki)
4. The Conspirator (Robert Redford)
3. Everything Must Go (Dan Rush)
2. What’s Wrong With Virginia (Dustin Lance Black)

#01. Rabbit Hole

The Gist: Based on David Lindsay-Abaire’s Broadway play, the story concerns a happily married couple, Becca (Kidman) and Howie (Eckhart), trying to cope with the death of their only child, a four-year-old who was killed in an auto accident. They go through an intensely emotional, redemptive journey they must undertake to regain happiness. Supporting cast includes: Dianne Wiest, Miles Teller, Tammy Blanchard and Sandra Oh.

Director: John Cameron Mitchell — Sales Agent: Odd Lot Int.

Selling Point: She shines best when she works in commercial failures (e.g.: Birth, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus and Margot at the Wedding), and my feeling is this could be an example of Kidman asserting herself as one of the tops in the game. TIFF audiences and critics will help determine whether this is Oscar territory.

Suited For: A studio who is not afraid to go into deep dramatic terrain.