I have to admit that I was looking for another film when I cam across this one. Being a huge fan of Benicio del Toro I decided to sit down and watch it. Things We Lost In The Fire is a very fine film and the performances of del Toro and Halle Berry were just spot on. The direction of Susanne Bier was perfect and seemed to bring out the best in the actors.The film tells the story of a woman (Berry) who loses her husband ((David Duchovny) when he tries to stop a man from beating his wife. Grief stricken she is really not coping and she asks a friend of her husband Brian, a heroin addict called Jerry Sunborne to stay with her and her two children.This is a story of grief and loss but it is also a story of strength, love and hope. In any other hands, this would be a dreary film indeed but it's not.There are many beautiful and powerful scenes in this film but the best is Benicio del Toro's Jerry going through withdrawal. The scene is heart breaking and quite realistic. Also the scene where Audrey (Berry) finds him in a filthy squat smacked out of his mind.This is definitely one of Benicio del Toro's best films and one worth watching. Sad, yes but also imbued with hope as well. These characters are flawed in their own way. Jerry's addiction, Audrey's anger and difficulty coping with the loss of her gentle and loving husband. I have to say, I am not a huge fan of Halle Berry, but this was her film, she shone out in it. The two actors who played her children, Alexis Llewellyn as Harper Burke and Micah Berry as Dory Burke were outstanding. They both managed to avoid the cutesyness that some child actors have. David Duchovny was wonderful as usual and a special mention to Omar Benson Miller as Neal, Audrey's brother. He was great.I hope that Benicio del Toro makes more films like this in the future.

This movie - with somewhat "draggling" title, but it has a meaning - is rather painful to watch, but still interesting and lots of Hollywood clichés have been avoided - as for ending, for instance. The plot is realistic and intelligent, and viewers can ponder and think through lots of things; addiction issues, raising children, fragility of human life - among others.But the main pearls are the leading actors - Berry and Del Toro. Well, it should be no surprise, both are Academy Award winners, but they were so great throughout the movie, leaving e.g. Duchowny in the shadow as well. Even if you are not fond of difficult topics - it is no entertainment, though has its comic and pleasant moments - the movie is highly recommendable, if you prefer great acting and having sympathy with characters.The movie deserves definitely more attention and praise it has seen so far.

Susanne Bier goes the same secure (and economically successful) path as e.g Lars Hallström and several other good European film makers. From credible pieces of art touching real emotions to standardized Hollywood productions. The authors are OK, some better than OK, but Halle Berry personalize the impersonal, over-sweetened and superficial impression of the movie.This is another example of a basically good story and a good film maker turning out in an uninteresting result. Although Bier is not in the same league as e.g. Lars von Trier, she has made several interesting films listed at IMDb. I recommend Susanne Bier's earlier Danish productions instead of this meal of lobster marinated in coca cola.

This is the first Bier film I watch. She's one of our popular directors, and this was her first attempt outside of Denmark. In Hollywood, no less. Maybe that's where it went wrong, and I understand that she has done better before this. I haven't given up on her abilities. Maybe her style of close-ups(including extreme ones on eyeballs), smash-cuts and hand-held camera(I will admit that it puts you right in the situation a lot of the time) works better elsewhere. The script may have been the main problem. It's unoriginal, cliché-ridden, predictable and simply not convincing. None of these people are real. They're one-note and forgettable. The pacing is slow. You can be heavy without being boring. It's also odd how little time it spends on the drugs issue... almost as if it wasn't willing to truly delve into something so uncomfortable. This isn't a complete waste. I liked the beginning. You see the awkward family situation as they try to deal with it. And the way Jerry becomes a surrogate for Brian, the way he uses cigarettes in place of the heroin he was addicted to... that wasn't bad. The non-linear time-line of the first hour is fine. This deals with loss, and it does so nicely enough, if it has little new to offer. Duchovny is his bland self as the angelic husband shot down by a wife-beater(the individual, not the tank top) never-again-to-be-mentioned, leaving his wife Berry(who does well enough, not her best work) and their two kids(who look too similar to one another... then again, they seem like they could be Halle's kids... they're OK actors), and thus Del Toro(who is *magnificent*, he raised my rating of this by one point), Mulder's best friend for years, becomes a bigger part of their lives, to help patch the hole it leaves. This could have been touching. It didn't have to be sappy, borderline emotional porn. When your moral is essentially a bumper sticker... "accept the good"... well, that's a bit of an omen. This has a little humor. There is a moderate amount of strong language and some disturbing content in this. The DVD comes with 9 and a half minutes of deleted scenes(complete but with time-codes), trailers for this and three other movies, and the 20 and a half minute featurette A Conversation About Things We Lost in the Fire, which I will review on its own page here on the site. I recommend this to those who want their heartstrings tugged and have low standards for such. 6/10