Review of Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) by Ana B — 29 May 2012

Brian is a loving husband and father and, despite his wifeâ(TM)s disapproval, he never forgets his best friend Jerry, a brilliant man that lost everything when he became a heroin addict. Brian suddenly dies in a senseless act of violence, leaving his widow and his two kids sunken in sorrow. In a desperate attempt to overcome grief Audrey invites Jerry to stay in the outhouse until he can get his life settled. An interesting interaction between them four starts but can they get over Brianâ(TM)s memory? And can Jerry get rid of his problem?

This is the sort of movie that is based almost uniquely in actor performances. In here we find a believable story and good dialogues, but if they werenâ(TM)t delivered by the right set of actors the movie would have been absolutely worthless and untruthful. Luckily they got a pair of good performers that give this tale of grief and addiction an edge of likeness. I think the whole cast is convincing, neither overacting nor underplaying their roles; but I believe Benicio del Toro is outstanding portraying Jerry, He seems very comfortable in the skin of a man fighting emotional loss and heroin addiction at the same time.

Direction is good too, tying it all together in this touching and uplifting drama about love and friendship.