Bier's first Hollywood film sees her pick up on much the same themes as her last Danish piece, Efter brylluppet, that is, the pain of loss and how we come to terms with it in our individual ways. Here, Halle Berry is abruptly widowed and pulls her husband's best friend, junkie-in-precarious recovery Benicio Del Toro, into her orbit to fill the void left by his death.On the technical side, there's absolutely no need for the modishly deconstructed narrative structure, and it's becoming apparent that Bier will keep trying to squeeze emotional content out of those eye close-ups. Also, both leads are perilously close to being typecast: Berry as the strong but damaged mother in denial of her pain, Del Toro as a mumbling mess just one wrong turn away from the gutter; Monster's Ball and 21 Grams respectively. But at least these are proven parts, and so both are used to their strengths, Del Toro particularly convincing in his instability.
Not a step forward for Bier, then, but still streets ahead of most Hollywood competition in terms of empathic depth.
6/10
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