It is the story of a modern widow who decided to invite her troubled husband's friend to live with her and her two children. This person changes the course of things in the life of this family and helps the family to cope and face its loss over time.
Berry gives a riveting performance, but as a deeply decent man trapped in a hell of his own making, Del Toro gives the kind of career performance Berry gave in Monster's Ball.
The English-language debut of Danish director Susanne Bier is at times morose but the tale of healing is directed with compassion and a powerful, sometimes discomforting intimacy.
Things We Lost in the Fire is certainly not a comedy, but it is definitely mordant with its two Big Themes: Loss and Addiction, both treated in a singularly heavy-handed manner, for which I blame primarily Mr. Loeb's screenplay.
The best part of the film is del Toro's performance, a junkie jumble of many layers, glued together with a deep seated humanity that reaches out to us.
Scheduled blowups and symbolic dreams and interminable tears until we all feel like we've learned a little something about loss: We want our two hours back.
