21 Grams (2003)

by Elizabeth de Veer

Sometimes instead of watching a movie unfold as a logical narrative, you feel your way through it, you feel it in your bones, in your stomach, in the throbbing temples of your head, the way you feel after you have given too much thought to whether you will afford to retire. 21 Grams is like that. You feel it, more than watch it or understand it; you experience it with your stomach.

The film, which follows the three peoples' lives that are intertwined in relatively predictable ways, does not unfold in a logical way. Instead, it feels as though the writer took three interrelated stories, cut them up with scissors, put them in a hat and organized them in whatever order they were pulled out, being careful to layer them in contrasting cinematic textures, rhythms, and moods. But somehow this revelation process, which seems random but is actually carefully crafted, is effective. There is some predictability within the plot, but of course you are told so much ahead of time that you never know whether you have predicted what would happen or whether you were already shown it in the movie. In the end, there is plenty tension and there is enough untold so that the last scenes do bring you to a point that you had not yet seen.

The story focuses on the lives of three characters: Paul, a man with a dying heart, played by Sean Penn, Jack, an ex-con Jesus freak, played by Benicio del Toro, and Christina, a suburban housewife, played by Naomi Watts. The acting by all three was superb, subtle, rich. Watts especially stretched the role, creating a woman who is pushed to the edge of her emotional ability and reacts, somewhat unexpectedly, by returning to a world of alcohol and drugs that she knew before she was a mother. What can you say about Sean Penn? For a fleeting moment you are amazed that this is the same guy that played the stoner surfer dude in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but that fades quickly and then you are swept away with whatever he is experiencing in front of you. As for del Toro, he has taken another step toward becoming one of the great actors of this generation, reaching without hesitation into the rawness, the grit, the hopelessness and the helplessness of his character.

This is a tough movie to recommend just because of the intensity of it. While it seems to end on a relatively upbeat note, it is by no means a feel good movie. On the other hand, it is worth seeing for the three fantastic performances, some genius directing and tremendously innovative, sensitive writing.

What's that? Do I hear Oscar Buzz?

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