Directed by:
Alejandro González IñárrituScreenplay:
Guillermo ArriagaCinematography:
Rodrigo PrietoComposer:
Gustavo SantaolallaCast:
Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Danny Huston, Naomi Watts, Carly Nahon, Clea DuVall, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Claire Pakis, Eddie Marsan, John Rubinstein (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
College professor Paul Rivers and his wife Mary find their union precariously balanced between life and death. He is mortally ill and awaiting a heart transplant, while she hopes to become pregnant with his child through artificial insemination. Cristina Peck, having matured since her reckless past, is a beloved older sister to Claudia, a good wife to Michael and loving mother to two little girls. Her family radiates hope and joy. Much farther down the socioeconomic scale, ex-con Jack Jordan and his wife Marianne struggle to provide for their two children while Jack reaffirms his commitment to religion. A tragic accident that claims several lives places these couples in each other's orbit. In the aftermath, Paul confronts his own mortality, Cristina takes action to come to terms with her present and perhaps her future, and Jack's faith is put to the test. If spiritual equilibrium is to be regained by any one of them, it could come at great cost to the others. Yet the will to live, and the instinct to reach out to another person for support, remains ever present among them all. (Focus Features)
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Reviews (10)
A superb example of postmodern cinematic narrative – Iñárritu breaks the chronology of the story into small pieces and composes its narrative from these pieces. He does not tell a story in the traditional sense, but forces the viewer to co-create it in the spirit of postmodern narrative, to be a kind of second authorial voice. Unlike Anderson's Magnolia, however, he goes even further in the deconstruction of the story – ignoring the rules of conventional space-time and serving the viewer a meddling of plots that are not anchored by the unity of time and place. The result is a riveting narrative form that prevents the perceptive viewer from tearing his eyes from the story, from missing the plot. The experience of the film is enhanced by the way it is captured - the handheld camera indulges in neurotic tremors and unpredictable movement the way Trier does it. All this is approached by excellent work with a soundtrack in which monotonous sound surfaces appear at key moments in addition to natural sounds, amplifying the emotional experience even more. Alejandro González Iñárritu is a true master of modern dramatic form, although from my subjective point of view his formal brilliance lacks the immediacy of experience and intimacy that is characteristic, for example, in the works of Lars Von Trier. Something even more absorbing. A subjective experience. Perhaps the fact that I felt that I was unnecessarily one step ahead in uncovering the plot... Otherwise – praise for the acting performances (I don't know who is the best, but probably the riveting culprit Benicio Del Toro wins after all), for the script, theme and inconspicuous music. 21 Grams is one of the best films about guilt, punishment, forgiveness and compassion that can be seen today. It definitely belongs in my TOP 3 for 2003 right next to Burton's Big Fish and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation.
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This is really strong. A piece of brilliant and unconventional filmmaking that may not be to everyone's taste, and the shards of the fragmented story are not easy to pick up, especially at first, but if you're having your day and agree to Iñárritu's challenging mind game, it could very well be the film experience of a lifetime. I obviously had my day and now I can't help but praise it to the skies. The complex frame composition, on which even an experienced filmmaker would have failed, was so impressive and in harmony with the depressing story that each additional cut meant for me a deeper immersion into the plot and more empathy for all the amazing characters. The performances, by the way, are another extensive chapter that could be written on the subject of 21 Grams. The central trio of Penn, Del Toro and Watts is clearly Oscar-worthy – for actors to go to such lengths for their roles and squeeze every last drop of the best out of themselves is something you really don't see that often. And if much of the story is motivated by a direct assault on the viewer's emotions (which cannot be denied), the resulting form is so authentic and believable that the frozen audience is unlikely to realize any creative machinations. A second viewing is inevitable and participation in at least my top 20 is up in the air.
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Thank God for the fact that they still make films that can tug at your soul. I love films that don't lead me by the hand, that make me ask questions, think about them; 21 Grams is exactly that. Iñárritu's consistent disruption of the temporal sequence is a clear win in my eyes, piecing together the mosaic of temporal shards was exciting and thrilling in its own way. This great impression is enhanced by the handheld camera and the interesting work with sound in places. Standing above these technical matters is the emotionality and depth of the script and the performances. Benicio, Benicio, you are awesome, I’ve not other words to say it. It is good to know that despite all the messiness of life, there is always hope, that bright spot in the distance, and that great movies are still being made.
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Iñárritu's next fascinating, ruthless analysis of life's journeys, where a single moment forever changes everything that has come before it, with no way back and no forgiveness possible. The acting of the main trio, which would surely deserve a statuette, only adds to the enormous power of this film, which in many ways follows the lead of the excellent Amores Perros. Sean Penn, teetering on the edge of life and death in the hospital is truly unforgettable with his monologue about "21 grams", as is Naomi Watts in the scenes involving the most intense emotions.
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This is an example of how an untraditional approach to narration serves only as an effective gimmick to turn a film into something more interesting than it actually is. I’m quite surprised at how many people say that 21 Grams is very emotional, I think it would be almost impossible to deal with a similar topic in a colder way.
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Gallery (43)
Photo © 2003 Focus Features
![21 Grams - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/166/114/166114453_026b7c.jpg)
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