Things We Lost in the Fire

Oscar-winner Halle Berry, still trying to find another Monster's Ball to shore up her sagging post-Oscar career, comes reasonably close in this sensitive, low-key drama directed by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier. Berry is quite good as the bereaved, wealthy widow whose Good Samaritan husband (David Duchovny) lost his life in a senseless street crime while visiting his down-and-out best friend, a heroin-addicted former lawyer (Benicio Del Toro). Although she's never approved of the friend, the widow invites him to live in her garage, knowing that her late husband would want him looked after, and these two lonely people—each coping with the loss of a special man—come to appreciate and rely upon each other. Bier's intimate directorial style, which depends on shaky handheld camerawork and tight close-ups, becomes irritating in short order, but the subtlety and honesty of the performances is powerful enough to compensate for the annoying manner in which the story is filmed. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 21-minute “A Discussion About Things We Lost in the Fire” featurette, seven deleted scenes (10 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small but solid extras package for a fine character drama.] (E. Hulse)[Blu-ray Review—Mar. 17, 2009—DreamWorks, 118 min., R, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2007's Things We Lost in the Fire sports a fine transfer with Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to those on the standard DVD release, including a 21-minute “A Discussion About Things We Lost in the Fire” featurette, seven deleted scenes (10 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid choice for larger Blu-ray collections.]