Review of 21 Grams (2003) by Tommy M — 11 Oct 2009

This is a prime example of a film that plays much better if you know nothing about it before popping it in, and one that can't really be properly discussed unless every person in the room has just watched it.

It's a rare occurrence when a film can live solely by its performances, and as this one progressed, I was completely absorbed by all three of the leads to the point where I lost sight of who the actors were.

The plot however, is where the film's weak spot lies. It sounds gripping to think that three strangers could be linked by a car accident, but the problem is HOW the story unravels in non-chronological order. At certain points, we know more than the characters; and then there are moments where they know something we don't.

Inarritu clearly has a special touch when it comes to editing, but in this case it's almost as if he had a good story told from beginning to end, and then decided to just shuffle the deck at the last minute. Why I'm not sure, but luckily he found the perfect cast to help him out; and boy does it pay off tremendously in terms of "getting into character.".