Review of 21 Grams (2003) by Nathan P — 03 Apr 2010

"They say we all lose 21 grams at the exact moment of our death.".

This brutal, sad, and heart-pounding drama centering on the lives of 3 separate individuals after a "freak accident" brings them closely together to one another is one of the saddest movies I have ever watched. All of the characters are in despair with their lives. One of the people involed in the accident is an ill mathematician, whose physical and mental illness is endangering himself in losing his own life. The other man is a former convict, who uses the Bible and other religious truth in order to keep his family together tightly. The one and only woman, a grieving mother raising two kids, deals with substance abuse at the expense of herself and her family. Each of these peoples lives play out in a devastating way after the "freak accident" brings them together.

After watching this downer-of-a-movie, you really do feel the pain and suffering that all of these people went through. What makes you feel their pain is intact to the superb performances by the leading cast. Most notably by the 2 actors who were nominated at the Academy Award's Committee for Best actor (Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro). You watch them, suffering with their grim lives, and wonder, "how much more can they take?" No wonder this movie was voted into the top five of most depressing movies ever made. Anyone who watches this and has a soul would understand how this is most definitely one of the most depressing movies ever made. While, some may see you should not be exposed to sad stories because you just feel so bad afterwords, I feel the opposite and am glad that I put myself through an entirely sad tragedy-of-a-story.

The main theme of this movie is obviously death, because of what the title is given, 21 Grams. 21 grams is the magical number of how many grams you lose in your body at the exact moment of your death. Death is a reality of life, and for these young people, death is a shadow. Your born, you live, you die, that's just how it works. But for many, including these people, death should not be at the expense of a harsh and brutal tragedy. Unfortunately, that is all too true for many people.