Benicio Del Toro had been acting in films for ten years before we noticed him in Traffic (2000). Since that appearance both Barbara and I have been impressed, if not blown away, by his performances. This film is no exception. He is totally believable as a heroin addict struggling to get his life together. In the female lead is Halle Berry playing a grieving widow with two children trying to cope with an incomprehensible tragedy. After her Academy Award-winning performance in Monster’s Ball, Berry has made some mediocre films, but here she is back to her Oscar form. We have seen many films that focus of the grief that follows a loved one’s death, but rarely has the grieving felt as real and heart-breaking as it does in this film. The two young actors who play Berry’s daughter and son were especially good. This is a compelling drama about people in crisis and has been ably directed by European filmmaker Susanne Bier. I don’t think this film will receive the attention deserves at the box office, but we recommend it with a grade of A. GRADE A