| Photos (See all 92 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 14) |
| Halle Berry | ... | Audrey Burke | |
| Benicio Del Toro | ... | Jerry Sunborne | |
| David Duchovny | ... | Brian Burke | |
| Alexis Llewellyn | ... | Harper Burke | |
| Micah Berry | ... | Dory Burke | |
| John Carroll Lynch | ... | Howard Glassman | |
| Alison Lohman | ... | Kelly | |
| Robin Weigert | ... | Brenda | |
| Omar Benson Miller | ... | Neal | |
| Paula Newsome | ... | Diane | |
| Sarah Dubrovsky | ... | Spring | |
| Maureen Thomas | ... | Grandma Ginnie Burke | |
| Patricia Harras | ... | Howard's Wife | |
| V.J. Foster | ... | Distressed Man (as VJ Foster) | |
| Caroline Field | ... | Teresa Haddock (as Carolyn Field) | |
| Marlies Dick | ... | Police Officer | |
| Todd Charles Mosher | ... | Police Officer | |
| James Lafazanos | ... | Arnie | |
| Liam James | ... | Cousin Dave | |
| Quinn Lord | ... | Cousin Joel | |
| Alejandro Chavarria | ... | Backyard Kid | |
| Ken Tremblett | ... | Brenda's Husband | |
| Hilary Strang | ... | N.A. Meeting Director | |
| Jessica McLeod | ... | Harper's Friend | |
| Victoria Campbell | ... | Harper's Friend | |
| Gerry Rousseau | ... | John in Alley | |
| Abraham Jedidiah | ... | Mr. Skopes | |
| Adrian Hough | ... | N.A. Meeting Man | |
| Kendall Cross | ... | N.A. Meeting Person | |
| Lorena Gale | ... | N.A. Meeting Person | |
| R. Nelson Brown | ... | N.A. Meeting Person (as rnelsonbrown) | |
| Hakan Coskuner | ... | Alvin the Addict | |
| James R. Baylis | ... | Misunderstood Dealer | |
| Anonymous | ... | N.A. Serenity Prayer Man | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Peter Hanlon | ... | Ray (uncredited) | |
| Amanda Marier | ... | Narcotics Anonymous Woman (uncredited) | |
| John Andrew Vaas | ... | Addict (uncredited) | |
| Geoff White | ... | Crackhead (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Susanne Bier | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Allan Loeb | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Pippa Harris | .... | executive producer | |
| Barbara Kelly | .... | co-producer | |
| Allan Loeb | .... | executive producer | |
| Sam Mendes | .... | producer | |
| Sam Mercer | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Johan Söderqvist | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Tom Stern | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Pernille Bech Christensen | |||
| Bruce Cannon | |||
Casting by | |||
| Debra Zane | |||
| Heike Brandstatter | (uncredited) | ||
| Coreen Mayrs | (uncredited) | ||
Production Design by | |||
| Richard Sherman | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Geoff Wallace | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Dominique Fauquet-Lemaitre | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Karen L. Matthews | (as Karen Matthews) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Ian C. Ballard | .... | key hair stylist (as Ian Ballard) | |
| Rick Glassman | .... | dental special effects: Mr. Del Toro (as Rick Glassman D.D.S.) | |
| Norma Hill-Patton | .... | makeup artist: Ms. Berry | |
| Connie Parker | .... | key makeup artist | |
| Jessica Rain | .... | assistant hair stylist | |
| Gail Rowell-Ryan | .... | hair stylist: Mr. Del Toro (as Gail Ryan) | |
| Debra Wiebe | .... | hair stylist: Ms. Berry | |
| C.J. Wills | .... | assistant makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Abby Callahan | .... | post-production supervisor (as Abigail Callahan) | |
| Barbara Kelly | .... | unit production manager | |
| Paul A. Levin | .... | post-production supervisor (as Paul Levin) | |
| Mark Graziano | .... | post-production executive (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Don Anderson | .... | property buyer | |
| Victoria Balharry | .... | graphic artist | |
| Derek Bobroff | .... | on-set painter | |
| Raul Casillas | .... | lead set dresser | |
| Anthony Chruszcz | .... | set dresser | |
| Graham Coutts | .... | property master | |
| Jennifer Donaldson | .... | assistant art director (as Jenny Donaldson) | |
| Keith Esch | .... | paint foreperson | |
| Larry Gonsalves | .... | set dresser | |
| Gillian Goodman | .... | assistant property master (as Gill Goodman) | |
| Jim Green | .... | chief greensperson | |
| Alan Hemsworth | .... | lead greensperson | |
| Scott Holburn | .... | set dresser | |
| Randal Holden | .... | construction foreperson (as Randal James Holden) | |
| Sheri Hunter-Locke | .... | assistant set decorator | |
| Leonardo Lara | .... | on-set dresser | |
| Shannon McFarlane | .... | set dresser | |
| Chris Thompson | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Mario Tomas-Niedworok | .... | paint coordinator (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Alex Burdett | .... | special effects coordinator | |
| Adam Tayler | .... | special effects technician | |
| Kai Hirvonen | .... | special effects assistant (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Danny Albano | .... | digital compositor: Technicolor Digital Services | |
| Mary E. Manning | .... | pre-visualization artist: Illusion Arts | |
| Erin L. Nelson | .... | digital restoration | |
| Wilson Tang | .... | digital restoration | |
Stunts | |||
| James Bamford | .... | stunts | |
| Simon Burnett | .... | stunts | |
| Jon Kralt | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Gerald Paetz | .... | stunts | |
| Wade Simmons | .... | stunts | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Sandes Ashe | .... | first assistant photographer | |
| Tony Derkach | .... | dolly grip operator | |
| Glen A. Dickson | .... | camera operator (as Glen Dickson) | |
| Gareth Farfan | .... | on-set rigger | |
| Rod Feldmeier | .... | chief rigging technician | |
| Jeremy Giles | .... | grip | |
| Doane Gregory | .... | still photographer | |
| Braden Haggerty | .... | underwater camera operator | |
| Sean M. Harding | .... | first assistant photographer (as Sean Harding) | |
| Carl Jensen | .... | second company grip | |
| Andrei Jercan | .... | camera trainee | |
| Dave Joshi | .... | video coordinator | |
| Saubrie Mohamed | .... | assistant chief lighting technician (as Saubrie Said Mohamed) | |
| Kevin O'Leary | .... | generator operator | |
| Jason Raschke | .... | second company grip | |
| Jean-Marc Saldini | .... | second assistant photographer | |
| Pawel Sedzimir | .... | assistant chief lighting technician | |
| Bryce Shaw | .... | dolly grip | |
| Bill Stefandis | .... | grip (as Bill Stefanidis) | |
| Morten Søborg | .... | camera operator (as Morten Soborg) | |
| Owen Taylor | .... | chief lighting technician | |
| Tony Thorpe | .... | grip | |
| John Westerlaken | .... | first company grip | |
| Tyler Woeste | .... | second assistant photographer (as Tyler L. Woeste) | |
| Ian Seabrook | .... | underwater camera operator (uncredited) | |
| Leon Serginson | .... | leadman grip (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Andrea Brown | .... | background casting | |
| Leslee Feldman | .... | casting executive | |
| Tiffany Mak | .... | casting assistant | |
| Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson | .... | adr voice casting | |
| Peter Mulholland | .... | extras casting assistant | |
| Leah Nelson | .... | casting assistant | |
| Trica Thompson | .... | casting assistant | |
| Tannis Vallely | .... | casting associate | |
| Adam Cook | .... | casting assistant (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Marnie Ander | .... | costumer | |
| Steve Holloway | .... | costume supervisor | |
| Jana MacDonald | .... | assistant costume designer (as Jana Rayne MacDonald) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Jill Bogdanowicz | .... | digital intermediate colorist: Technicolor Digital Intermediate | |
| Brian Boyd | .... | digital preview colorist | |
| Gary Burritt | .... | negative cutter | |
| Rasmus Gitz | .... | assistant editor (as Rasmus Gitz-Johansen) | |
| Shaun Paul Gordon | .... | post-production coordinator (as Shaun Gordon) | |
| Julia Iriarte | .... | editing production assistant | |
| Bruce Lomet | .... | digital intermediate producer: Technicolor Digital Intermediate | |
| Julia Nessling-Douglas | .... | digital intermediate producer: Technicolor Digital Intermediate (as Julia Nessling) | |
| Francis Power | .... | post-production coordinator | |
| Carrie Puchkoff | .... | assistant editor | |
| Stephen R. Sheridan | .... | color timer (as Steve Sheridan) | |
| Shelly Theaker | .... | assistant editor | |
| Everette Webber | .... | digital intermediate editor: Technicolor Digital Intermediate (as Everette Jbob Webber) | |
| Justin Bourret | .... | first assistant editor (uncredited) | |
| Thor Roos | .... | colorist: dailies (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| David Richard Campbell | .... | conductor (as David Campbell) | |
| David Richard Campbell | .... | score arranger (as David Campbell) | |
| John Carbonara | .... | assistant music editor | |
| Troy Halderson | .... | score recordist | |
| Susan Jacobs | .... | music supervisor | |
| Anibal Kerpel | .... | score co-producer | |
| Wolfram Koessel | .... | contractor | |
| Suzana Peric | .... | music editor (as Suzana Períc) | |
| Bettie Ross | .... | supervising music copyist | |
| Gustavo Santaolalla | .... | composer: themes | |
| Gustavo Santaolalla | .... | performer: ronroco and guitars | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Jake Callihoo | .... | transportation coordinator (as Jake Calihoo) | |
| Herb Langill | .... | driver | |
| Dean Rama | .... | transportation captain | |
| Fred Stephens | .... | transportation co-captain | |
| Terence Chase | .... | driver (uncredited) | |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section |
Phenomenal acting and a riveting story make Things We Lost in the Fire a must-see film, and an early Academy Award contender for an acting nod to Benicio Del Toro. While the film is deceptively simple, with few sets, fewer characters, and a non-sequential storyline, it is a powerful acting showcase for its impressive cast.
Audrey Burke (Halle Berry) has lost her husband Steven (David Duchovny) in a senseless murder. A few days later, the fast approaching funeral reminds her that she forgot to invite her husband's best friend Jerry Sunborne (Benicio Del Toro), a recovering heroin addict. Audrey is distraught and unable to cope with her loss, and despite her constant disapproval of Jerry and his horrific lifestyle, she invites him to stay in her home, partially to fill up some of the emptiness in her life, and partially because of his pathetic situation. When Jerry begins to fill the shoes of Steven, especially in the eyes of her two young children, Audrey must come to terms with her losses and what Jerry's influential presence may mean to her family.
Halle Berry's character is unable to cope with the loss of her husband, and a major theme that runs throughout the film is how detrimental death can be to family life and friends. She mourns for two hours, and while her contempt for Jerry (and then her slowly increasing appreciation for his presence) makes her a relatively dislikable character initially, her actions are not unbelievable. Berry's performance is powerful and emotional, and while audiences will be divided on whether she deserves sympathy or contempt, it will be unanimous that her acting is Oscar worthy.
Del Toro likewise inspires with his heartfelt and deeply moving Jerry, who doesn't want sympathetic attention, but whose actions demand it. Perhaps given up on by life, he too has given up on beating his addiction, despite his attendance at NA meetings and his once-a-year birthday meeting with Steven, his one and only true friend. It is left open as to how the two met and why they are so close considering their extremely different lives, but their connection and acceptance of each other's positions is perfectly understandable. When he becomes more than just a house guest, unexpected kindness and attention come from the children as well as the slowly softening Audrey. Easily one of the finest performances of the year, Del Toro embodies his drug-riddled and burnt out character with such authenticity and passion that it is also Del Toro's finest performance of his career.
Two factors remain mildly unsettling during the course of Things We Lost in the Fire. Firstly, the camera frequently lingers on extreme close-ups of characters' eyes. Never are both eyes framed, but only one and off-centered to boot, which is not only unusual, but also doesn't convey as much emotion as a larger portion of the face could. Perhaps it is an attempt to be innovative, but it serves no purpose other than to cause the audience to take note of its atypicalness. Secondly, the film jumps back and forth in time. Quite unnecessary for a storyline such as this, which could have utilized flashbacks for Steven instead, this shifting timeframe is not nearly as disorienting as it is unamusing.
A slow moving film that steadily builds as each character is fully fleshed out, Things We Lost in the Fire is a great character study that thrives on exceptionally spectacular performances. Each individual part is outstanding, but in its entirety it doesn't cross boundaries of overall superiority. Definitely worth watching for all of its sensational performances, look for Things We Lost in the Fire during this year's Academy Awards.
- Mike Massie (MoviePulse.net)