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Things We Lost in the Fire

Things We Lost in the Fire

Drama · 2007

A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss.

Movie details

Things We Lost in the Fire

“Hope comes with letting go.”

2007 Drama 1h 53m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

A recent widow invites her husband's troubled best friend to live with her and her two children. As he gradually turns his life around, he helps the family cope and confront their loss.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Things We Lost in the Fire?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Susanne Bier

Written by

Allan Loeb

Halle Berry

Halle Berry

Audrey Burke

Benicio del Toro

Benicio del Toro

Jerry Sunborne

David Duchovny

David Duchovny

Steven Burke

Alison Lohman

Alison Lohman

Kelly

Omar Benson Miller

Omar Benson Miller

Neal

John Carroll Lynch

John Carroll Lynch

Howard Glassman

Alexis Llewellyn

Alexis Llewellyn

Harper Burke

Court is in session

Put Things We Lost in the Fire on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.