Things We Lost in the Fire

Brian(David Dachonvny) and Audrey Burke(Halle Berry) are a happily married couple with two beautiful children; he is a successful developer and life for them is carefree and very happy. Then we have Jerry(Benicio Del Toro) a friend of Brian's since second grade who at one time was a lawyer, but now an heroin addict. Audrey's world is torn apart when she is informed by police that Brian has been killed in a very senseless shooting. As if this weren't enough she has to find Jerry so he can attend the funeral.

After the funeral Audrey asks Jerry to come and live in her garage because he has no where else to go. He agrees to do so and decides that since Brian never gave up on him, it was time to change some things in his life. He started going to (NA )meetings and actually stays clean for quite some time. The children don't quite know what to make of him at first, but end up with a very close bond.

One day Audrey gets very upset with Jerry and asks him to leave; then she receives a call from Kelly , one of the members that attends the NA meetings with him letting her know that he had missed a meeting and has apparently relapsed. Audrey sets out looking for Jerry and finds him in an horrible state; she realizes things about herself and finally begins to see him as a totally different person.

Halle Berry made you feel her pain in this film; the heartache of losing someone that you love, and the day to day coping of it all. Benicio Del Toro made you want to just reach out and hug him, his performance was off the charts; his portrayal of someone recovering from an heroin addiction was so believable. David Dachovny's role was that of a loving father and husband who takes care of his family, but always remained friends with Jerry even though their lives took different paths. His scenes were all flashbacks, but they were critical in gaining an understanding of the type of man he was. I really enjoyed him in this film because the role he plays showed how a husband and father should be.

Be sure to pay close attention towards the end of the film, when they are sitting down at dinner. What Audrey says really makes you thing about life in general, and always remember that things are just things.