21 Grams (2003)

Acclaimed Spanish director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (the splendid Amores Perros) makes his American debut with 21 Grams, an intensely dramatic character report starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro. The title of the film refers to a myth that suggests that when a person dies, they lose just 21 Grams. The title is, of course, a metaphor. This movie is a rather sprawling fictional character study in which trey separate lives are profoundly impacted by a single, tragic event; a horrific car crash (this is interesting given that this is the same sort of case that effects the characters in Amores Perros). 21 Grams does not unfold through a straight ahead narrative, as scenes from the past, present and future are all revealed out of order so that we the audience witness the outcome of certain events before we actually see what leads up to them. As was the case in films like Memento, Irreversible and Mush Fiction, this makes for an intriguing time at the moving-picture show because it forces us to quell on our toes as viewers - constantly beingness challenged by a new revelation. What\'s most interesting is that this technique never feels gimmicky in 21 Grams, because this isn\'t a mystery, it\'s pure drama. Inarritu is an amazing talent and he has an interesting eye for human behavior. Many characters in this picture do things they know they shouldn\'t ( i.e. Penn\'s character continues to smoke like a chimney even though he\'s in desperate need of a heart transplant). And even though 21 Grams never quite becomes as important and powerful as it aspires to be, much of the picture moved me. Keeping 21 Grams from reaching it\'s full potency are some sequences and background stories that don\'t quite occur together. The moments betwixt Penn and actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, didn\'t seem to have a great deal depth to them. At that place is a history there (the two play husband and wife), and even though the turmoil in their relationship is somewhat resolved, I somehow felt underwhelmed by it. There are besides other moments in the film where I didn\'t buy into the way specific characters were reacting towards sealed events. It\'s hard to elaborate on this without giving key plot points away (I friggin\' hatred spoilers), simply I will say I had issues with key moments 'tween Del Toro\'s character and his married woman (played by Melissa Leo the Lion). 21 Grams has cold moments merely it has uplifting ones as well. This is a picture that deals with themes of sacrifice, addiction, guilt trip, redemption and religion, and they\'re all dealt with in interesting ways, some predictable and some virtually unexpected. Naomi Watts is outstanding here and truly lets herself go emotionally as a woman wHO, despite forever being told; \"Life goes on\", can\'t seem to break out of a downward spiral caused by tragedy. It\'s a role that reminded me a morsel of Halle Berry in Monsters Globe, only I felt this part was more fully realized. Her grieving is painfully material. Sean University of Pennsylvania is upstanding as a man wHO feels his life would not be possible were it non for a sacrifice made by some other. He is passionate and sincere and I was even more than moved by his make here than by his terrific turn in Secret River. Del Toro is, once once more, a absorbing screen force, this time playing a God fearing man with a wreckless past. He\'s intense and unpredictable, and absolutely compelling to look on. Like Cold Mountain, 21 Grams is a motion-picture show I greatly admire, just I wouldn\'t call it greatness. With shades of Talk to Her and even the light quixotic comedy Return to Me, this is a worthy second exploit by Innarritu but it wasn\'t as involving as Amores Perros. Somehow, after this picture was over, I felt as if there was something missing. Still, 21 Grams is much more than thought agitating than some of the other dogshit playing right now, and if you can handle an intense time at the movies, it\'s more than than charles Frederick Worth a appear.

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