Review of 21 Grams (2003) by Ryan M — 31 May 2011

7.5/10.

"21 Grams" may not be as frustrating of a story- or moving of a film- as we may think. The film, directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, is one for the thinkers, the observers, and perhaps even the film historians. It's certainly thought-provoking and worthy of every little bit of praise it has gotten. Some will love the film, and for some it will come off as pretentious and dry. I can understand that; this is a depressing, bleak vision. But it's also an artistic, interesting, and intelligent one. "21 Grams" is uneven, but its philosophy hits the target, and so do its performances.

I have a soft spot for films that tell their stories with non-linear narrative elements, although I'm not afraid to come out and admit when it gets annoying and stupid. Some films pretend a bit too much. "21 Grams" does not. It uses this technique of story-telling, the linear narrative, for genuinely decent purposes, even if there's virtually no good reason for this story to be told in such a style. It's not a complete nuisance, but at times it tends to distract from what's ultimately at the core of a film as good as "21 Grams". And yes, even with that complaint, it's still worth seeing.

I like to think of the story as not one, but three sub-plots; all leading up to a finale that the film consistently hints at. Therefore, it's meant to be a predictable outcome, but then again, there's nothing that makes the finale "surprising". That's not even the nature of the thing.

One story focuses on a man who has recently been released from imprisonment; looking to start over with his wife, his kids, his life, and now taking up Christianity as his one joy for recreational purposes. He devotes his life to being a Christian; adoring the concepts and teachings of the religion, and hoping that he can, perhaps, be redeemed for his sins.

Another story focuses on a mellow house-wife who loses her husband and two daughters to a fatal car-crash. She grieves in her own ways; through tears, through drugs. It's all the same to her. She even agrees to have her husband's heart donated to another human being.

The third story is that of a professor, whose fatal heart condition forces him to pursue a new heart. Also, he has recently thought about having a child with his wife; although the two seem to be getting more-and-more distant each day. The professor could die any day, and his wife dreams of having a child, so he agrees to donate his sperm, to her, so that she can have this" dream child".

(Spoilers alert) So how do these stories connect? It all begins with a car-crash. The same car-crash that killed the woman's husband and kids. The same one that the former convict had begun. As I said, spoilers are going to show up in a couple of seconds, so if you don't want to spoil the movie, then I advise you to stop reading this section of the review. Now, back to what I was saying; it also turns out that the professor's new heart is that of the deceased husband (of the grieving woman). This shall all come into place in the finale, which is effective, if not a tad underwhelming.

If anything, this film is very philosophical and interesting. It is superbly made by its director, and the writing is fairly solid, aside from the issues, which I already expressed, regarding the stylistic qualities of the narrative. The film's stars are Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts, and Sean Penn. Watts delivers one of the best performances of her career, and Del Toro does some genuinely fine acting as well. Penn is an already talented actor, notable for even better roles than this one, but that does not distract from the craft and talent that he expresses here. In the end, I appreciate what has been done here; directorially and in terms of the actors present. "21 Grams" is, underneath it all, a smart film, and half the fun was figuring the damn thing out, but some part of me wishes that I could have felt something more once the film had finished. But if you can get past those things, then you've got yourself a pretty good film.