Plot: What’s it about?
Audrey (Halle Berry) is married to Brian (David Duchovny) and with him, she has two young children. The couple has a good life, with a lot of love and Brian is known for his kindness and generous spirit. Brian’s friendship with Jerry (Benecio Del Toro) is a perfect example of his wonderful nature. Jerry has battled a lifelong cycle of addiction and destruction, but Brian remains by his side and tries to help, even in Jerry’s darkest moments. But when Brian defends a woman from her abusive husband, he is shot and killed, which devastates Audrey. Unable to cope with the loss, Audrey turns to Jerry and asks him to move in, out of impulse. The two then begin to form a bond, but one that is tattered by emotional outbursts and moments of weakness. Can these two people recover and survive, even in this darkest of hours?
A movie like this one can be excellent, but all too often, filmmakers take shortcuts and turn to melodrama and emotional cheap shots to evoke emotion. Things We Lost in the Fire is a superb example of how filmmakers can pull out real emotion in spades, with no need to pull on the heart strings with melodrama. The movie is by no means uplifting, at least not in the sense we’re used to with films of this kind. The message of recovery and survival is inspiring, but these topics are explored with realism, so no magic or convenience is to be found. We have two characters in internal chaos, who come together to try move forward, but have to face down some imposing obstacles in order to do so. Halle Berry and Benecio Del Toro are fantastic, with not just powerful and emotional turns, but also incredible control. Things We Lost in the Fire is a dark, often hard to watch movie, but it is well crafted and is more than worth a look.
Video: How does it look?
Things We Lost in the Fire is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. I have also viewed the HD-DVD release of this film, so I am a little spoiled, but this standard version looks impressive. The film’s visual design tinkers a little here and there, so the image is more saturated than most. The visual decisions work however, as the colors tend to flow with the moods of the characters, which is quite cool. The print looks superb, colors are well replicated, and contrast is spot on. So in the end, if you can’t watch the HD-DVD, this DVD edition should please your eyes.
Audio: How does it sound?
As the movie is driven by dialogue, its no surprise this Dolby Digital 5.1 option isn’t explosive. The mood is held up well by the audio, with minor, but effective surround presence. The real focus is on dialogue however and since all the vocals sound flawless, I see no room for complaints. Some added surround presence comes from the musical soundtrack, which pumps some life into the mix from time to time. This disc also includes French and Spanish language tracks, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and of course, French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A behind the scenes featurette only runs about twenty minutes, but no time is wasted and ample insight is provided. More than just a look at how the movie was made, this is also a look at why the movie was made. I do wish there was more time, but for what time is allowed, this proves to be a terrific piece. This disc also includes some deleted scenes, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
