Into the Fire is one of the best films about mourning that I've ever seen. I won't tell what causes Walter's (Flanery) grief, though the actual event isn't as central to the film as its devastating effect on him. Films are called "haunting" all the time, but here the word fits perfectly. There's a dreamlike quality to the movie that may be confusing at first, or seem like arty self-indulgence. But I think I found its purpose. Walter is in many ways a ghost in his own world. His pain and guilt are keeping him from performing his job, from building close relationships, from living his life. Everything changes after a plane crash, and once June (Williams) and Catrina (Kanakaredes) enter his life. Walter latches onto the older, wiser June, for reasons never really stated but obvious given Williams' warmth in the role. June turns into both a confidante and the one person who finally challenges Walter to confront what he'd spent so long trying to suppress. The two actors have a great chemistry, and their scenes together are the film's best.
It all sounds kind of heady, and it is. I would say that Into the Fire isn't for everyone, but I really think it IS for everyone. It's an increasingly rare film that gets its drama not from plot devices, but simply from the characters' hearts and minds, from their words and their tears. In the end, it's cathartic. And coming away, I felt like I'd learned something about what it is to be human: The way our regrets can imprison us if we let them. And the way our minds can sometimes trick our hearts into believing something that isn't really true at all.
It all sounds kind of heady, and it is. I would say that Into the Fire isn't for everyone, but I really think it IS for everyone. It's an increasingly rare film that gets its drama not from plot devices, but simply from the characters' hearts and minds, from their words and their tears. In the end, it's cathartic. And coming away, I felt like I'd learned something about what it is to be human: The way our regrets can imprison us if we let them. And the way our minds can sometimes trick our hearts into believing something that isn't really true at all.