Susanne Bier, Things We Lost In The Fire

by Kathryn Durfee
10/25/2007

It seems that in the South, the only way to tell that fall has arrived is by checking out the new releases at the theater. Most of the leaves may still be green, and I may still be able to comfortably wear short sleeves, but the Oscar hopefuls are starting to trickle in, signaling the turn from summer blockbusters and gross-out comedies to the more serious and realistic dramas of the winter season.

One of the first of what is sure to be many is director Susanne Bier's Things We Lost in the Fire. This is Bier's first English-language film; the Danish director is internationally known for films such as last year's After the Wedding and 2002's Open Hearts. With Fire, it is apparent that she not only has an impressive handle on the English language but is also very capable of executing the "big Hollywood drama."

Things We Lost in the Fire opens with a funeral, warning the audience that this film is going to be a tear-jerker. The new widow, Audrey Burke (Halle Berry) is arranging flowers in a beautifully-designed home when she remembers that she forgot to notify a certain someone of her husband's death. She sends her brother to a shady part of town to retrieve her husband's best friend Jerry Sunborne (Benicio Del Toro), a heroin addict.

Audrey and Brian (David Duchovny) shared 11 happy years of marriage with two children, Harper and Dory. His accidental and untimely death is shown through flashbacks: while making a late-night ice cream run for the family, Brian tries to stop a man from beating his wife. The man pulls a gun, and Brian is killed in the struggle.

Audrey has always hated Jerry, but invites him to the funeral because she knows Brian would have wanted him there. Still in shock and confused about what she is supposed to do now, Audrey invites Jerry to stay with the family. Brian was a huge part of Jerry's life, and without his only loyal companion, Jerry will surely relapse. While staying with Audrey and her children, Jerry cleans up his act, becomes a supportive friend to Audrey, and helps Harper and Dory cope with the loss of their father.

Things We Lost in the Fire is melodramatic and at times predictable, but is nonetheless emotionally engaging. I don't mean to discredit writer Allan Loeb's script, but this film would undoubtedly be less powerful without the presence of such talented actors. Del Toro effortlessly carries the film with his portrayal of Jerry. From heroin addict on the streets to teddy bear best friend to Brian's kids, Del Toro proves to be one of Hollywood's best assets. He doesn't overplay a role that could have easily been taken over the top.

Berry doesn't do much except cry, but her expressive eyes are featured throughout the film, making the need for explanation obsolete. Though Duchovny is only featured in flashbacks early in the film, his character is developed well enough to make him a lasting presence throughout the film. This is quite a feat considering he is and always will be, at least to my generation, the near-holy Fox Mulder.

The film has a slight 21 Grams feel to it, due not only to the realistic portrayal of the brutality of the real world but also the non-linear timeline. The first thirty minutes of the two-hour film jumps back and forth between the funeral and the months before Brian's death. After this is established, fewer flashbacks are used and the plot unfolds in a more linear fashion. So, not as extreme as 21 Grams, but the film still requires the viewer to pay attention in order to correctly piece together the story.

Bier utilizes a European, or more specifically a Bergman-esque handling of the camera by featuring numerous extreme close-ups on Berry's and Del Toro's eyes, lips, or hands. Though close-up after close-up generally grows tedious, cutting them would not only have shortened the film to TV-movie length but would also have lost it's art cinema feel, dooming the film to be lost among other Hollywood melodramas. The soundtrack is understated; the same (or seemingly so) 30 seconds of somber acoustic guitar for Audrey. For Jerry, it's whatever seems to be playing on his Discman.

Fire's drama at times approaches forced -- the kids are a little too insightful and cute -- but the film nonetheless succeeds in being one of the year's most emotionally-draining features. This is not a fun date movie, but it's not supposed to be. Bier grounds the film in realism, bringing to the screen the unfortunate truth that not everyone lives happily ever after. Things We Lost in the Fire is an honest look at the open wounds left by a loss of such magnitude, and though slow-moving and low-key, the film shows what wisdom and hope can be gained from tragedy.