The beauty of this film lies in both the rich performances Bier draws from Berry and del Toro (it is truly a gift to watch these two share the screen together), and Tom Stern’s impressionistic cinematography.

| Feb 13, 2024

The English-language debut of Danish director Susanne Bier is at times morose but the tale of healing is directed with compassion and a powerful, sometimes discomforting intimacy.

| Sep 8, 2023

Though slowly paced, it's a film that knows how to build characters and thought-provoking situations for a striking analyzation of sorrow and struggle.

| Original Score: 8/10 | Nov 28, 2020

Despite terrific performances, the film sinks without ever developing its own personality.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Jul 6, 2019

Screenwriter Allan Loeb begins to unravel the much more conventional story of Jerry's battle with drugs and the audience is forced to wallow in an all too familiar mire. Despite this, Bier is still a fascinating director whose films work on many levels.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 4, 2018

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 18, 2011

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 17, 2011

Every trace of maudlin evaporates in one of Del Toro's lopsided grins.

| Apr 28, 2011

You can't manufacture honest sentiment.... So, I'd have to call the movie a noble miss.

| Original Score: 5/10 | Mar 21, 2009

The best part of the film is del Toro's performance, a junkie jumble of many layers, glued together with a deep seated humanity that reaches out to us.

| Aug 14, 2008

A Susanne Bier film guarantees us a potent emotional journey, and this, Bier's first English language film, dissects hearts and searches for truths.

| Aug 14, 2008

The film felt very anti-climatic to me for some reason.

| Original Score: 1/5 | May 26, 2008

Where the film's ambitions crumble is in its avowed refusal to make its audience too uncomfortable.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 1, 2008

Things We Lost in the Fire sounds like a made-for-Lifetime weeper. But two superlative performances means "Fire" is anything but a by-the-book drama.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 4, 2008

Less than profound, but consistently honest, Things We Lost in the Fire is neither triumphant nor great, but it is meaningful.

Full Review | Original Score: 76/100 | Feb 25, 2008

Scheduled blowups and symbolic dreams and interminable tears until we all feel like we've learned a little something about loss: We want our two hours back.

| Original Score: D | Feb 22, 2008

| Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 1, 2008

Often as overwrought as it is heartrending.

| Original Score: B | Nov 27, 2007

...never entirely comes off as the searing, hard-to-watch drama it's presumably supposed to be.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Nov 24, 2007

"Things We Lost In The Fire" is an overlong downer that crumbles under the relentless strain of anger and grief.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 19, 2007