Things We Lost In The Fire - B+

In theaters. Rated R, 112 minutes. Trailer.

Due to the confluence of a short initial theatrical run and a dearth of babysitting at the same time, I was forced into my first 'dollar theater' experience in several years in order to take this one in on the big screen. Directed by Susanne Bier and starring Halle Berry, David Duchovny and Benicio Del Toro, this was a good movie, but, like Reservation Road, tough to watch.

Duchovny is a successful father and husband to Halle Berry and a loyal friend to Benicio's character, Jerry - a relapsed heroin addict living in squalor (and loathed by Halle). Duchovny gets killed doing a good deed and Benicio moves into the garage at Halle's request. The ensuing weeks are filled with parallel journeys of grief and recovery. Click below for the rest of the review.



The film feels a lot like 21 Grams, with it bleakness and non-linear cutting, but without the existential themes and visceral tone. Benicio's tortured soul/charmer character in TWLITF is a kindred spirit to his Jesus loving manslaughterer in 21 Grams. His performance here is controlled and effective. His character, and the film as a whole, are strongest when he is interacting with John Carroll Lynch as Howard, Halle's neighbor. Howard hates his wife and strikes up a friendship with Benicio. Their scenes yield one of the funniest lines of the year: referring to his ornate living room, Howard says "She gets her decorating tips from Uday Hussein."

Halle does an admirable job as the grieving widow and lonely mother, but I wasn't blown away. The scene where she is told about her husband's death is wrenching. As with Reservation Road, the depiction of death impacting a young family hits too close to home for me. Halle's brother, Neal, is played extremely well by Omar Benson Miller. He has the same empathy and likability as Forrest Whitaker, and he is one of the bright spots of the film.

While I liked this one, it wasn't as transcendent as it was trying to be. There is some talk about being 'lit from within' and 'accepting the good', as well as good explorations of themes of love, grief, addiction and friendship, but it doesn't quite reach for the level its trying for. Benicio should be a strong contender for a Best Actor nomination.