Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)

7.5

Movie

Canada, UK
English
Drama
2007
FEMALE DIRECTOR, SUSANNE BIER
Alexis Llewellyn, Alison Lohman, Benicio Del Toro
113 min

What it's about

A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss.

The take

Things We Lost in the Fire is a touching drama about Audrey (Hall Berry), a married mother-of-two, whose husband Brian (David Duchovny) is killed tragically in a random act of violence. Amidst her grief she comes to connect with Jerry (Benicio Del Toro), Brian’s childhood friend who is living an isolated life as a junkie, and ultimately invites him to live with her and her children. What may sound like a formulaic set-up, with broken souls coming together to find mutual reconciliation, is elevated immeasurably by Susanne Bier’s deft directorial hand. The celebrated director of After the Wedding and In A Better World weaves a poignant narrative about loss and human connectivity, featuring stunningly good performances by both Berry and Del Toro. It’s a film that’s likely to surprise you with its heartfelt tenderness and compassion.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Secrets of the Neanderthals (2024)

This plodding, unenergetic documentary sees neanderthals and humans as two branches on the same tree

6.0

Italian for Beginners (2000)

An understated, lighthearted romantic comedy made much more naturalistic through the Dogme ethos

7.0

Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry (2023)

A meditative character study of an independent middle-aged woman

7.2

Down the Rabbit Hole (2024)

A painfully uneventful coming-of-age story about a boy and his drug-lord father

3.5

The Boxer (1997)

Star-crossed lovers stand their ground in this disappointing Northern Irish drama

6.8

Mona Lisa (1986)

A neo-noir love story that dives deep into London’s underworld

7.7

La Belle Noiseuse (1991)

A sensual, spellbinding masterpiece depicting the creative process and its muse

8.1

La Chimera (2023)

A dreamy, bewitching film that ponders on ideas of lostness and longing

8.0

Wicked Little Letters (2024)

It’s not the most original mystery out there, nor the most rousing feminist piece, but Wicked Little Letters’ robust performances make it well worth watching

7.1

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A star-studded and riveting legal drama with a blockbuster feel.

8.1

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.