Rabbit Hole

RABBIT HOLE, a dark story of a man’s journey into the world of his own imagination, and how a troubled past must be faced square on or the consequences could be disastrous. Tom Micklebring has harboured a cruel upbringing throughout his teens, and now, in his early twenties, he struggles to come to terms with his past. Having no job and claiming off the state, Tom has no purpose to his life, he is on medication for depression and the only enjoyment he has is playing Xbox with his only friend, his teenage cousin Stuart. Tom’s sister Louise loves her brother but caring for their terminally ill mother and having three children means she rarely sees him. Louise’s partner Karl, along with his pals, takes great pleasure in bullying Tom and stealing money from him. Tom feels truly alone, and in an act of protest decides to stop taking his medication. Tom’s world becomes a mixture of imagination and reality and the lines between the two become blurred. Everything changes for Tom when he gets an interview for a job. A mysterious man, Derek gives him a position as a ‘cleaner’. Tom embarks on an intense course of training involving guns, knives and a ‘pig’, as his grip on reality becomes ever more distant. Becoming fitter and stronger and having a new found confidence; Tom soon focuses his attention on Karl and the gang. Clad in black and wielding a large hunting knife the gang are ruthlessly tormented by Tom as he seeks retribution. Stuart discovers the ‘cleaning’ job never existed. He confronts Tom, who becomes defensive and angry, and after a vicious verbal attack on Stuart, kicks him out of his flat. Tom receives his first ‘imaginary’ assignment, rifle in hand he heads to the cemetery where his mother’s funeral is taking place. In an intense yet sad scene, Tom sits in the shadows, the rifle aimed upon the guests by his mother’s graveside, Karl the first to be lined up in the crosshairs as Tom hesitates over the trigger! Stuart finds Tom by the mound of his mother’s grave. Tom breaks down and after a moment of realisation admits that he needs help. The night doesn’t end there for him; a welcome party is waiting at his flat. He is brutally beaten in a relentless savage attack. The story ends with a glimmer of hope for Tom, Stuart and his family show him the care he needs, and a final moment of connection from his sister Louise