But Jerry is a heroin addict, whose life has been a long, downward spiral and his friendship with Burke’s husband over the years had caused heavy animosity because of her husband's constant attempts to help him break the cycle of addiction.

There are some fine moments, like when Jerry learns to adopt paternal habits around Audrey’s two children, and some Hallmark-esque dialogue ("What's fluorescent, Dad?" "It means illuminated from within." "Am I fluorescent?" "Yes, you are, son. You are.")

The film is rough going, mostly due to the study of tragic loss and the ways that people attempt to deal with it. There are certainly some problems - the story goes in and out of being self-consciously earnest and ponderous, and the flashback structure is clunky - but Del Toro's performance is right up there, going beyond the parameters of a character as written and creates a being of his own.