21 Grams Movie Review:

“21 Grams” is a flinching tale of life, death, tragedy, morals, love, and redemption. “They say 21 grams is the weight we lose when we die,” states one of the film's characters, which the title of the film refers to the weight passed on to loved one's upon death as well as the weight of one's soul.

The film intertwines three different beings that would have not be acquainted otherwise than by a devastating accident. Paul Rivers (Sean Penn) is a renowned mathematician that is dying of heart failure and is unpatiently waiting on the donor's list for a new heart. Paul's wife, Mary (Charlotte Gainsbourg) wants to have a child with or without Paul, and consoles with her husband about artificial insemination. Cristina Peck (Naomi Watts) is a happily married woman and mother of two beautiful children, that still attends meetings for her past substance abuse problems. Jack Jordan (Benicio Del Toro) is an ex-con that has now surrounds his life around Christianity and faith, as well as trying to maintain balance with his wife Marianne (Melissa Leo) and his two children.

An unintended accident brings these three characters together as this film unfolds in dark manner that is bold and compelling.

“21 Grams” is directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who previously directed the Oscar nominated foreign language film from Mexico “Amores Perros.” Inarritu is a in-your face director that shoots his films along with cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto in a grainy look with many handheld choices. Though the hand-held moments become old quickly in “21 Grams,” Inarritu still proves that he is a terrific filmmaker. More than “Amores Perros,” this film's structure is scattered all over the place. Inarritu presents all of his scenes out of order to tell his narrative, with some of the ending being seen before the plot points, and even the beginning of the film. At first the structure sort of leaves you wondering what is going on, however, about one-third through the film, the structure becomes accepted, and Inarritu's style of storytelling is effectively told. Inarritu's captures some very powerful visuals and scenes in this film, especially the emotion filled moments of heartache and confusion. As a director, he uses many different tricks, such as uses of mirrors for reflections and point of view shots.

The screenplay by Guillermo Arriaga is Inarritu's outline and he just fills in the openings. The characters are well rounded, flawed beings, but more than anything they are identifiable. The dialogue is crisp, and there are many themes to the film including morbidity, mortality, redemption, and love. Once again, the structure of the story is what is most noticeably untraditional, but still works very well.

The three central performances in this film by Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Naomi Watts are all award worthy. Penn, who will probably also receive awards for his work in “Mystic River” this year, plays a character unlike any he has ever inhabited, a mild man who is counting his days due to heart failure. Penn's precision, balance, and presence are striking. Benicio Del Toro will make you forget about “The Hunted” as he delivers a stunning portrayal of a very complex man who is struggling with his faith. Naomi Watts serves up her best performance to date as the emotional ignition of this film, who falls back into her past after tragedy bewilders her life. The supporting cast for the film is also strong, including a genuine performance from Melissa Leo as Del Toro's angered, but supportive wife.

When reviewing a film like “21 Grams,” there is not much that one wants to tell or divulge about it. Audiences will realize things that are going on early, due to the structure, but this film is still something that people need to see for themselves. This is not a happy film at all; it is pretty heartbreaking, but also very absorbing. “21 Grams” is a film that will be talked about during the upcoming award season.

Grade: A-

11/21/03

By Joseph Tucker

What would happen if you lost everything? Your life changing and dying with the crackle of one solitary phone-call. Who would you become?

What if you could take back one event in your life where you lost everything? It being so simple but yet unforgettable. What would you do to fix that event?

These are just some of the questions presented in the new "non-linear" film, "21 Grams". Sean Penn plays Paul Rivers, a dying college professor who is
losing hope and the love of his wife, Mary (Charlotte Gainsbourg). Cristina Peck (Naomi Watts) is a good, happy matriarch of a suburban family
consisting of a loving husband and two girls. Born-again ex-con Jack Jordan (Benicio Del Toro) is trying his best to provide for his loving wife,
Marianne (Melissa Leo) and their 2 children.

One horrific event will change the lives of these characters forever. Each one of them will ask the questions above at least once. What will they
answer and who will pay the ultimate price?

The thing to be recognized the most in this film are the crippling and overtly-emotional performances from Penn, Watts and Del Toro. Penn is
utterly brilliant in his second heart-wrenching performance of the year. Watts is crippling and brilliant in the slightest of mannerisms. And finally
Del Toro proves once more why he won the Oscar for "Traffic". He is this character and we love him, condemn him and hate him all in the same breath.

Each of these worthy performances are great for the actors but the film itself would have been an HBO movie of the week if for not for the way the
film was laid out. From the beginning of the film we are lost and it isn't until about 30-40 minutes in that you finally see the events collide and see
a story emerge. The film's layout is a strange fixture on the viewer. The direction and sculpting isn't as successful as Memento because there is no
sense of direction but instead isolated scenes scattered across a canvas. The result is a discouraging look at the events and the result comes off as more of a dream than a recollection. I can say that this take on the film will garner a lot of attention but as a film it's rather distracting. It is
can only be speculation if the film was scripted in this form or if the editor sculpted the whole new take.

"21 Grams" is heart-wrenching and distracting. It is also an interesting character study on the events that change these souls. The shame is that the
final result is a mixture of love and hatred for me. This is uncanny since that is exactly what this film hopes to convey.

(3 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

A freak accident forms an indelible connection between three people and starts a chain of events that will see each of them consumed by their own unique emotion. Repeat offender Jack (Del Toro) has turned his life around and become a well-respected member of his local church community, but the accident has left him drenched with guilt and the belief that God has forsaken him. Loving mother Christina (Watts) lived an idyllic live with her husband and two daughters until the accident robbed her of everything that ever had any meaning for her, plunging her into grief. Paul (Penn) had only months to live as his diseased heart was failing until the accident gifted him hope but burdened him with a sense of responsibility.

Three consummate actors at the top of their game and a visionary and creative director combine to bring us a story of guilt, grief, hatred and forgiveness.

Told in a very non-linear fashion, the story jumps around the timeline of the events offering tentative glimpses of the three concurrent plotlines. Interweaving what happened before the accident, as the incident occurred and its subsequent aftermath, the movie throws you around these people’s lives revealing a revelation and then building the story until we find out how those events actually occur. This might sound confusing but the excellent script, editing and direction by Alejandro González Iñárritu mean you never get lost as the characters looking noticeably different in each timeframe.

This innovative approach and strong, emotional storyline would be nothing without three accomplished actors firing on all cylinders. Sean Penn is becoming one of the finest actors of his generation. Every performance is a powerhouse and this is no exception. The man cannot help but grab your attention every time he graces the screen. His performance as Paul, the man inexplicitly draw to the woman, whose husband saved his life, is profound as he portrays a sense responsibility towards the welfare of this forlorn widow.

Naomi Watts continues to showcase her electrifying acting ability with another standout performance. This emotionally draining but extremely powerful role is totally resplendent as she truly captures the feeling of grief felt by her character. Only the most hardened of cynics could not be moved by the sheer emotion shown by this character and it to Watts’s credit that her performance manages to stir such feelings.

Benicio Del Toro continues to dazzle as the guilt ridden, ex-con whose belief in God, which had been his salvation, is severely tests by the accident. He pulls no punches as he character questions his faith and the guilt of his actions dissipate any chance of rational thought or coming to terms with what he has done. Del Toro captures this superbly making Jack almost a tragic character that you really do feel sorry for even after the devastation he has caused.

A lot of the plaudits for this astonishing accomplishment have to go to director Alejandro González Iñárritu. His vision and sense of plot really involves the audience as he tentatively reveals the story in episodic chunks that tweak your attention only for you to discover how these events came out as the movie progresses. The use of slightly grainy, handheld video with a strong emphasis on single colours, take you into these people’s lives making you feel that you are witnessing, not watching the events unfold before you. This is truly inventive filmmaking and again shows Iñárritu as a shining light of modern cinema.

While the subject matter may sound depressing and hard going, the performances of the three leads draw you into the character’s plights making you care for them, creating a wiliness to find out how it all concludes. This is powerful, emotion and at times, heart wrenching material that examines the human condition when it is confronted by the extremes that life can throw at you. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but this a commanding cinema that cannot help but affect anyone who watches it.

Star Rating = * * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

After the raw power of Amores Perros, Iñárritu is back with another devastating drama that taps into some deep emotions. It's a fragmented story in which each scene is a puzzle piece that falls into place as plot strands intersect at two major events. But in the way it's edited there's also an emotional through-line that really moves us. Apparently, 21 grams is the weight we all lose when we die ... the weight of the human soul?

Three people's lives collide in unpredictable ways: Paul (Penn) is waiting for a heart transplant, struggling in his relationship with his wife Mary (Gainsbourg), who desperately wants to have Paul's baby. Especially if he dies before a new heart is found. Christina (Watts) is a suburban housewife with a loving husband (Huston) and two precocious daughters; but when she goes through a harrowing experience, her drug-fuelled past comes back to haunt her. And Jack (Del Toro) is an ex-con who is seriously trying to mend his ways. Maybe too seriously. He's now a Bible-thumping fundamental Christian, and his wife (Leo) and kids have all new reasons to worry. These three people come together with astonishing repercussions.

Iñárritu is dealing with love, grief and revenge in provocative ways that Hollywood would never dream of, avoiding the sermons and obvious morals in lieu of a hauntingly personal story of redemption. The cast is more than up to the challenge: Penn delivers another riveting, reflective performance as a man trying to find the even keel in life and failing miserably. Del Toro dredges up his character's innermost demons and puts them all over his face in a way that makes you both fear him and love him. And Watts gives another stunning, revelatory performance as a woman who crosses the gulf between sanity and hysteria and hasn't a clue how to get back. Superb support from Leo, Gainsbourg and Russo (as Jack's badly unsettled son) adds to the film's authenticity. And it's filmed with a coarseness that keeps us on the edge, while non-sequential editing teases us with glimpses of the past and future, but maintains the powerful central thrust. In the end it's perhaps too harrowing; the story is so explosive that we can't really identify with it. But in the beautifully written and played characters we do examine our lives in a completely new way.

Rich Cline

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