Academy Award-winners Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro star as two people brought together by tragedy in Things We Lost in the Fire.

Things We Lost in the Fire is a mournful meditation on love, loss, moving on and finding solace in unexpected people and places. It doesn’t have all the answers, and it isn’t easy to watch, but Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro give great performances in an honest, moving film that’s one of the year’s best dramas.

It’s an odd, uncomfortable thing to see people brought together by death, but that’s what happens after Audrey Burke’s (Berry) husband, Steven (David Duchovny), is murdered while bravely trying to stop a random domestic violence dispute. In flashbacks, we learn that Audrey never liked Steven’s best friend, Jerry Sunborne (Del Toro), a recovering heroin addict on whom everyone but Steven has given up. With only their grief uniting them, Audrey invites Jerry to move into their renovated garage and help out at home with her two kids, 6-year-old Dory (Micah Berry, not related to Halle) and his 10-year-old sister, Harper (Alexis Llewellyn).

The script by Allan Loeb is shocking at times, heartfelt at others and always sincere. Director Susanne Bier isn’t afraid to let Audrey say the awful things she thinks in the aftermath of Steven’s death: She looks Jerry in the eye and says it should’ve been him who died, and she scorns Jerry for teaching Dory to put his head underwater, something Steven couldn’t get Dory to do.

These scenes are juxtaposed with Audrey needing Jerry’s help around the house and, most touchingly, needing him to cuddle with her at night so she can sleep.

In a lesser movie, two people holding one another in bed would lead to sex, but it’s clear here that Audrey just needs somebody — anybody — to help fill the void left by her husband, and Jerry is her best bet. Their relationship is purely platonic, and any indication of something more is deflected by the presence of Kelly (Alison Lohman), whom Jerry meets at Narcotics Anonymous.

Audrey is neither angry nor distraught throughout the movie. To the contrary, she does everything she can to hold her family together and remain positive, and Berry’s sympathetic presence makes Audrey an endearing woman for whom we want nothing but the best. Berry looks beautiful, yes, but never strikes you as sexy; she’s completely convincing as a loving mom trying to be strong for her family.

Del Toro is excellent in his role as well, as he takes his character beyond the somber self-pity of a man who just lost his only friend. His descriptions of heroin highs and addiction pains are heart-wrenching and complex; he has the candor of someone willing to deal with his problem and move on, but his tone and expression almost convey regret and longing for the sensation the drug provides.

Things We Lost in the Fire is a sad story that doesn’t go out of its way for an uplifting ending and, as such, remains true to the melancholic reality of the characters’ lives. When it’s over, the lump in your throat will remind you to be thankful for what you have.