Review of Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) by Eddie R — 12 Sep 2008

I really had no idea what I thought of this movie until the very end. It is an odd film. I'm still not really sure what I think.

I don't know if it was just my warped perception, or if it was intended by the direction, but I felt that the characters in this movie were disturbingly unstable throughout. The movie deals with immense grief, so I'm sure it's somewhat intended. But the movie felt unpredictable and uncomfortable. Maybe I'm just too used to movies with a bunch of crazy twists and was waiting for something that was never there. I can't put my finger on why I felt this way.

I've always liked the acting of Benicio Del Toro, but I never considered him at the Sean Penn / Edward Norton / Tim Robbins kind of elite level. This movie puts him up there. He gives one of the best performances I've ever seen. Halle Berry, however, scares the shit out of me. I don't know if her performance in this movie is excellent or just plain demonic. If her goal was to make me grimace every time she was on screen, she succeeded. Her expressions bothered me.

But onto the actual movie...

This is a movie about loss and grief, addiction and coping. It's about addiction of the worst kind. It's about coping with death and moving on. It's about children and how they cope with tragic loss. This movie deals with intense, deep feelings and is decidedly quite unsettling... but also eventually satisfying... on some level... I think.

Del Toro plays Jerry, a good-hearted former lawyer who also happens to be a heroine addict. I'm a bit skeptical about how believable his character is, but his acting in this movie is second to none. He surpasses his performance in [i]21 Grams[/i]. Jerry was best friends with a man named Brian, since childhood.

Brian is murdered while attempting to break up a fight between a man and his girlfriend. The movie begins at his funeral.

Brian is then portrayed as an unrealistically angelic character through flashbacks. Is this the manipulation of the person having the flashbacks, or are we supposed to feel worse because he was a great man? Audrey (Halle Berry) was Brian's wife. She ends up inviting Jerry to live in the garage, despite feeling a confusing mixture of emotions towards him. The movie is essentially about the complex ways everyone grieves Brian's death, and how Jerry manages his addiction and attempt to quit.

Jerry struggles with his addiction and the death of his best friend simultaneously, a struggle that surely isn't easy. Audrey struggles with the death of her husband and two grieving children. She isn't even sure why she's letting Jerry stay there. The kids are struggling mightily from the loss of their father and are showing it in different ways. Jerry and Audrey develop an odd relationship. The movie does have a somewhat conclusive conclusion, though it insists on being abstract.

There's no doubt about the acting in this movie. It was first-class. Del Toro can express so much emotion just by wrinkling his face in a certain way. It was a really great performance in a tough role.

As for the movie as a whole, I'm not sure whether I liked it or not. It certainly has its interesting points. The psychology of how people grieve is something that interests me. I think I need to watch it again.

One thing is for sure though, Benicio Del Toro's performance alone is enough for me to recommend it.

[b]Summary:[/b] A strange, unconventional movie highlighted by an Academy Award worthy performance by Del Toro and a good, but a bit haunting performance by Berry. It's abstract at times and feels unpredictable. The directing was a little obnoxious with facial closeups. It seemed like the director was trying too hard at times.

[i]"What you did today broke my heart."[/i] - Audrey.

[i]"What did I do?"[/i] - Jerry.

[i]"You got Dory to put his head under the water."[/i] - Audrey.

[i]"Oh, that was just a cute trick..."[/i] - Jerry.

[i]"He's six. Harper put hers under when she was only three. It was something that Brian tried and tried to get Dory to do, but he couldn't. And that victory today of getting Dory's head to go under was not supposed to be YOURS. It wasn't meant for you to have that moment. And for me, watching you was like this, this..."[/i] - Audrey.

[i]"I'm sorry."[/i] - Jerry.

[b]6.2/10.[/b].