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Things We Lost in the Fire
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Editorial Reviews:
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Academy Award winners Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro star in director Susanne Bier?s (the Oscar-nominated "After the Wedding") powerful new drama "Things We Lost in the Fire" Audrey Burke (Berry) is reeling from the shock of the news that has just been delivered to her door by the local police: her warm and loving husband Brian (David Duchovny), the father of their two young children, has been killed in a random act of violence. Once anchored by the love and comforts of their 11-year marriage, Audrey is now adrift. Impulsively, she turns to Jerry Sunborne (Del Toro), a down-and-out addict who has been her husband?s close friend since childhood. Desperate to fill the painful void caused by her husband?s death, Audrey invites Jerry to move into the room adjacent to their garage in the hope that he can help her and her children cope with their sudden loss. Jerry is facing a daily battle to stay off drugs, but in his unexpected role as surrogate parent and friend to Audrey?s son and daughter he finds a core of inner resilience. As Jerry and Audrey navigate grief and denial, their fragile bonds are constantly tested. Working together, however, they discover the strength to move forward.
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"Dad, what does 'fluorescent' mean?" asks a winsome young Dory of his doting dad, played by David Duchovny. Pondering a moment, dad answers, "It means, 'lit from within." "So Dad, am I fluorescent?'" "Yes, Dory, you are." The touching, brief moment telegraphs the bond Duchovny's character, Brian, has with his family, including wife Audrey (Halle Berry) and daughter Harper (Alexis Llewellyn), and the love that radiates through and around him. When tragedy strikes early in the film, Berry and the children must acknowledge, and somehow heal, the hole left in their lives. And in that human effort, so little explored in American films, Things We Lost in the Fire holds a luminous candle to the hope left in life--sometimes when all that seems to be left is hope. Directed by the talented Danish director Susanne Bier (Brothers), Fire is allowed to unfold almost in real time as grief washes over the family, and Berry gives one of her most memorable performances, captured mostly in tiny details that will hit the viewer in the soul. Her eyes, the carriage of her head, her slim shoulders appearing to buckle under the weight of her sorrow--Berry is well directed here and shows that her performance in Monster's Ball was no fluke. As she begins to connect with Brian's childhood friend Jerry (Benicio Del Toro), a new family web is woven--irregular, to be sure, but strong and comforting. Other affecting performances are given by the talented charater actor John Carroll Lynch, as Brian's friend and neighbor, and by the heartbreaking Llewellyn, an actress of stunning range for a child so young. Things We Lost in the Fire holds a torch in the deepest darkness, and lets souls connect--a rare gift indeed. --A.T. Hurley
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Things We Lost in the Fire
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User Comments About Things We Lost in the Fire
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Things we lost in the fire: Guaranteed to rub your ear to make you fall asleep!
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I thought your character's withdraw scene scared the crap out of me. I understand we all have our different ways of grieving, but Halle's character's way of grieving,I didn't and I never will. With this lousy movie, where can I start.
And Yo, Benecio. And David Duchovney,did he have to be in the movie only to die later on, NO. She has this mean, stoic look on her face.
How about.I thought Halle Berry's character can prove me wrong on her performance, but she didn't. My question was:"Why is she so cold towards him." Then, when it came to point of the man living with them, that's when she spat out, "Why couldn't it be you." she was even meaner. Okay, let's get to the scene when Halle's character and the kids are at the funeral.
When Benecio's character comes by, she doesn't shake his hand or anything.
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"Accept the good." Three words never meant so much after the loss, despair and redemption the characters in "Things We Lost in the Fire" experience. It's a shame that it got 'lost' during the awards season. Halle Berry delivers her finest performance as the distraught widow of David Duchovny's character. It has a good message with some pretty intense acting from the leads. Moments of kind gesture and jealous rage flip-flop throughout the movie. Though seemingly episodic, the actors elevate the material to something truly special.
And in my opinion, the intricate camera shots show fragments of the characters' body, especially the eyes, to emphasize their broken state of mind. The plot is simple, straight-forward, and broken into pieces with glimpses of the past. And yet, Benicio Del Toro's drug-addicted character remains consistently optimistic and nurturing through most of the trials and tribulations. The musical score is beautiful. Though some may regard this as an 'average TV Movie of the Week' type of picture, I thought it was a standout.
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Brilliant portrayal of regular people trying to find their way through a painful situation. I wasn't prepared to enjoy the movie either yet all lead actors demonstrated their worth by bringing the script to life.
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A widow (Berry) invites her husband's friend, Jerry (Del Toro) to live with her and her two kids. The directing was not extraordinary. As for the acting, only Benicio del Toro and John Carroll Lynch are worth mentioning. It was so slow that I started watching it at x1.5 speed with subtitles, and it still didn't pick up. Her husband's best friend (Lynch) befriends Jerry. It wasn't even ordinary. I was told by friends the movie was fun, and went by quickly. I don't think I've ever seen such a slow film.
It was just plain lame. The others definitely delivered second rate performances, especially Halle Berry. Unless you have a good reason to watch this boring drama, I'd stay away from it. I fail to see what was so great in this movie, certainly not the script. This morning I finally gave it another chance by resuming it, and frankly, I fail to see the point of the movie. The photography was pretty awful, the characters were lost with the background, mostly in the scenes shot outside. and time sure didn't go by fast enough.
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This movie was really sad, but the way the director told the story was incredible. You thought you could have been there.
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