Things We Lost in the Fire (B or 3/4 stars)
Audrey Burke (Halle Berry) has recently lost her husband, Steven (David Duchovny), in 'Things We Lost in the Fire', a drama directed by Susanne Bier (After the Wedding). Audrey was so invested in her husband that when she's faced with this tragedy, she instinctively turns to his best friend, Jerry (Benicio Del Toro) to prevent her (and her 2 kids) from losing a connection to her husband. A series of dramatic events occur which allows her to find redeeming qualities in Jerry, a man she had always despised. Parts of the film are morose. But the melodrama is actually highly authentic, and Benicio Del Toro's performance is stunning.
The film opens at Steven's funeral. Audrey is barely holding up. Her 10 yr. old, Harper (Alexis Llewellyn), & 6 yr. old, Dory (Micah Berry), swing on their swing set. And we immediately notice a man who doesn't fit-in with the rest of the upper-middle class setting. This is Jerry; brooding, sulking, smoking. A recovering drug addict, Jerry knows that Steven was the ONLY person who never gave up on him. He needs them, and they need him; whether they all want to believe it or not. From here, the film then jumps, hops, & skips around chronologically, showing Steven in all his glory as a wonderful husband, dad, & overall person. Yes, this makes him superman, but we need to see this to substantiate just how miserable Audrey is.
Blocking out the reality of what's happened, Audrey invites the slovenly Jerry to live with her (in an extra room); she wouldn't want to disappoint Steven by letting his best pal succumb to a life of pure destitute. Still in a form of shock, Audrey even goes as far as to ask Jerry to rub her earlobe (a method Steven used to make her fall asleep). With time, the children warm to him, & vice-versa. It is here where Audrey's conflicted emotions of wanting/needing Jerry, but also hating him for 'moving in' on her family, comes to a boil. She is overwhelmed with anger & grief; he is overwhelmed with a new lifestyle & drug withdrawal. As you can guess, tensions run high. By the end, he hopes to help the family cope, & she hopes he can iron his life out. It's quite the soul-searching journey.
The film is all about healing (catharsis), & settling with what you have ... one day at a time. Halle Berry is great here (in her best role since Monster's Ball) as the bereft and mournful wife. That could leave an opening to overact, or create a one-note performance. But she handles it extremely well (sans one scene where she outbursts near the end). Once resentful & uncertain, her character softens as the film goes along. The young actors who play her children are exceptional; and it's nice that their inclusion is pivotal to the plot. But it's Del Toro who grabs your heartstrings with a tight fist & doesn't let go 'til the credits roll. His fight to redeem himself is downright electric. Audrey & Jerry unknowingly needed each other to mature and find a sense of themselves ... at the lowest points of their lives.
Also stellar here are Alison Lohman (as a fellow Narcotics Anonymous member who keeps an eye on Jerry), & John Carroll Lynch (a neighbor who befriends Jerry, lending a helping hand when needed). I have 2 small issues with the film: 1) the movie starts slowly & builds as the characters/plot fleshes out. But even some scenes in the middle ponder a tad much. 2) Susanne Bier employs a camera technique of resting focus on someone's eye, toe, finger, the food they're eating, etc. ... to provide an 'intimacy' with the particular character at hand. Sometimes this worked quite well, other times, it was an unnecessary distraction. With that said, this is an honest, emotionally challenging character study. And I left the theater feeling optimistic about the direction these characters would take.
The film opens at Steven's funeral. Audrey is barely holding up. Her 10 yr. old, Harper (Alexis Llewellyn), & 6 yr. old, Dory (Micah Berry), swing on their swing set. And we immediately notice a man who doesn't fit-in with the rest of the upper-middle class setting. This is Jerry; brooding, sulking, smoking. A recovering drug addict, Jerry knows that Steven was the ONLY person who never gave up on him. He needs them, and they need him; whether they all want to believe it or not. From here, the film then jumps, hops, & skips around chronologically, showing Steven in all his glory as a wonderful husband, dad, & overall person. Yes, this makes him superman, but we need to see this to substantiate just how miserable Audrey is.
Blocking out the reality of what's happened, Audrey invites the slovenly Jerry to live with her (in an extra room); she wouldn't want to disappoint Steven by letting his best pal succumb to a life of pure destitute. Still in a form of shock, Audrey even goes as far as to ask Jerry to rub her earlobe (a method Steven used to make her fall asleep). With time, the children warm to him, & vice-versa. It is here where Audrey's conflicted emotions of wanting/needing Jerry, but also hating him for 'moving in' on her family, comes to a boil. She is overwhelmed with anger & grief; he is overwhelmed with a new lifestyle & drug withdrawal. As you can guess, tensions run high. By the end, he hopes to help the family cope, & she hopes he can iron his life out. It's quite the soul-searching journey.
The film is all about healing (catharsis), & settling with what you have ... one day at a time. Halle Berry is great here (in her best role since Monster's Ball) as the bereft and mournful wife. That could leave an opening to overact, or create a one-note performance. But she handles it extremely well (sans one scene where she outbursts near the end). Once resentful & uncertain, her character softens as the film goes along. The young actors who play her children are exceptional; and it's nice that their inclusion is pivotal to the plot. But it's Del Toro who grabs your heartstrings with a tight fist & doesn't let go 'til the credits roll. His fight to redeem himself is downright electric. Audrey & Jerry unknowingly needed each other to mature and find a sense of themselves ... at the lowest points of their lives.
Also stellar here are Alison Lohman (as a fellow Narcotics Anonymous member who keeps an eye on Jerry), & John Carroll Lynch (a neighbor who befriends Jerry, lending a helping hand when needed). I have 2 small issues with the film: 1) the movie starts slowly & builds as the characters/plot fleshes out. But even some scenes in the middle ponder a tad much. 2) Susanne Bier employs a camera technique of resting focus on someone's eye, toe, finger, the food they're eating, etc. ... to provide an 'intimacy' with the particular character at hand. Sometimes this worked quite well, other times, it was an unnecessary distraction. With that said, this is an honest, emotionally challenging character study. And I left the theater feeling optimistic about the direction these characters would take.