Things We Lost in the Fire DVD Review

Once again, previews have not done a film justice. Every preview I saw for Things We Lost in the Fire made it out to be a romance first and foremost, with some comedy sprinkled in. Much like the film The Upside of Anger, Things We Lost in the Fire is a drama about life and does a fantastic job of showing just how hard it is to love and be loved.

The story is simple: Audrey (played by Halle Berry, who brings both a hard edge and tenderness to her role) is married to Brian (played with optimism by David Duchovny), a do-gooder, whose glass-is-half-full approach to life counterbalances his wife’s suspicious, glass-is-half-empty nature.

When Brian dies brutally and unexpectedly, Audrey is left to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and care for their two children alone. Seeking comfort, friendship, something, she turns to Brian’s best friend Jerry Sunborne (played with such amazing skill by Benicio Del Toro), a recently reformed drug addict.

While she’s not quite sure what she’s looking for from him, Audrey brings Jerry into her home and into her life. It’s clear that Jerry, who struggles with both addiction and the loss of his best (only) friend, and Audrey have nothing in common, save for the love for and loss of Brian.

Audrey, who for so long resented Jerry and his ability to keep Brian going back for more, soon finds that there was a side of Brian she did not know, one that Jerry was privy to. She also finds that her husband shared the little details of his life with his best friend Jerry.

The supporting cast includes Audrey’s brother, Neal (played by Omar Benson Miller); Brian’s work associate, Howard (played by John Carroll Lynch); and fellow NA member, Kelly (played with touching sincerity and wisdom beyond her years by Allison Lohman).

The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio, with audio in 5.1 Dolby Digital. Extras include “A Discussion of Things We Lost in the Fire” that delves into the making of the film and features cast and crew interviews. There are also a handful of deleted scenes.

In the end, Things We Lost in the Fire is subtle and moving. It doesn’t have the stars hopping into bed and getting on with life, but rather shows with great intimacy how painful it can be to lose the love of your life, whether you were married to that person, or that person was simply your very best/only friend.