Things We Lost in the Fire is a rich character piece which features terrific performances from its cast.

Halle Berry stars as Audrey, a grieving widow and mother of two to her murdered husband Brian (David Duchovny), a Good Samaritan who throughout the years kept a close relationship with his best friend and drug addict Jerry (Benicio Del Toro). After Brian’s funeral, Audrey invites Jerry to live with her family whilst he recovers from his addiction, repairing their rocky relationship in the process.  

The film contains a back and forth structure, as in flashbacks the viewer is shown Brian’s nature through his friendship with Jerry and the relationships he had with his wife and children. He was a man of humour and good will, with the latter helping secure his death, after he is murdered while helping a woman involved in a domestic dispute. The choice of casting a big name in the role of murder victim reminds of Dylan McDermont’s turn in Runaway Jury, and the underrated David Duchovny plays the role very well.

Director Susanne Bier keeps the film on an even keel, not relying too much on melodrama, yet not succumbing to moroseness either. Yet her penchant for extreme close ups of her actor’s eyes reeks of pretentiousness, and the almost 2 hour runtime does tend to feel draw out.  

Where Bier does succeed was in her ability to draw out great performances from her talented pair of lead actors. Halle Berry (who has not been this good since her Oscar win for Monster’s Ball) effectively portrays the varying mood swings and denial her character inhabits in regards to her husbands death.

However, it is Benicio Del Toro who really delivers the goods. Here, Del Toro inhabits his character with an abundance of soul, whilst also contains a mournful quality, as well as a cheeky off centred charm. He also triumphantly depicts the horrors and crippling consequences of heroin addiction, especially in regards to the physical and emotional turmoil of detox.

Special mention is to be given to the performances of the films two child actors, Alexis Llewellyn and Micah Berry, who both handle the films adult oriented material very well.