ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

WHEN EUROPEAN directors work within the Hollywood mainstream they frequently struggle to retain their individuality. Gabriele Muccino managed it with the Will Smith hit The Pursuit Of Happyness. Now, Danish director Susanne Bier has managed to create an unusually serious, thoughtful tale of grief, addiction and reconciliation in Things We Lost In The Fire.

It is a slow-burner but avoids the sentimentality of a typical Hollywood melodrama to create something that cuts a lot deeper. Halle Berry has her best role since Monster’s Ball as Audrey, a woman cast adrift by the sudden, shocking murder of her husband Brian (David Duchovny).

Struggling to come to terms with her loss and to comfort her two children, she extends a wary hand of friendship to Jerry (Benicio Del Toro). Jerry was Brian’s best friend and is a heroin addict still striving to remain clean. Audrey has always resented him but the bonds that develop help all of them to heal without tipping over into the kind of romantic attachment that would have made the film much more conventional.

Using flashbacks to reveal the character of Brian, Bier allows the film to unfold in its own sweet time. She lingers over touches, glances and caresses, investing everyday events with a greater weight and significance.

She also extracts fine performances from the entire case with both an understated Halle Berry and an edgy, awkward Del Toro lending their characters dignity and strength. Overlooked in all the hype surrounding the major Oscar contenders, Things We Lost In The Fire is a haunting, human drama that deserves to find an audience.

Nationwide release

Director: Susanne Bier
Stars: Halle Berry, Benicio Del Toro, David Duchovny, Alexis Llewellyn, Michael Berry, Alison Lohman
Screenwriter: Allan Loeb
Certificate: 15
Running time: 117 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2007

© Allan Hunter, 2008