21 Grams (2003)

"21 Grams" - A Weighty Story of Redemption

You settle in to watch a film like "21 Grams" and quickly realize that a movie like this strives to make an impact through its visual presentation. The images on screen are there to grab us, to hold us fast, and to tell us that this film has something meaningful to say. It's like a Picasso painting. It screams to be noticed and asks us to pay special attention to the artist.

Consider what you discern in the first 15 minutes. Much of the camerawork involves close-up shots of the characters. You can see the wrinkles around their eyes, their stares harden, and their pupils dilate. There is very little, if any, music on the soundtrack. Instead, we are exposed to the ambient sounds of the environment, which suggest a kind of cold stillness. And, the quality of the picture has a bleached and grainy look, which characterizes a kind of loneliness. You can almost immediately begin to sense the weight of the picture growing with each passing scene. The big question is whether the acting can match the bar that is being established.

One of the key players is Paul (Sean Penn), who is dying of a heart condition and is in need of a transplant. If he is given a second chance, we wonder what he'll do with it. Another key player is Christina (Naomi Watts). She's an upper-middle class mother who is fighting her drug dependency. On the road to recovery, she is stricken by a horrible tragedy. It is this life-changing event that creates a revolving-door story between herself, Paul, and the third key player. He is Jack (Benicio Del Toro), a morally ambiguous, Jesus-freak and former felon. His Oscar-worthy performance is like the chewy center of a Tootsie Roll lollipop.

Thanks to the caliber of its principal players, "21 Grams" is an involving story about personal tragedy made all the more powerful thanks to all-around gritty performances. However, that declaration comes with some reservation because, like that Picasso painting, this piece of work has a fragmented structure.

There is a complex storytelling technique at work that interconnects three different stories while shifting back and forth from the present to the future. For example, at one point we see one of the characters in jail. At another point, we see him bloodied in a hotel room. At another point, we see him loading cargo onto a truck. These separate scenes seem incongruous at first. However, as the film progresses, these scenes are revisited so that the chronology becomes more apparent.

Use this construction technique, however, seems to stunt its momentum as scenes and the timelines abruptly change. Much of the synergy gets lost during these transitions. We are treated, instead, to wonderfully acted individual scenes as opposed to a complete performance. This approach may serve to capture our attention. But it may also perplex us and test our patience. You wonder if a more straightforward structure would have gotten the same job done with greater efficiency and less distraction.

Despite that technicality, "21 Grams" is admirable in many respects. The film's subject material is potent. And, there is no doubt that those who participated will be able to add an impressive entry to their resume.

Grade:        B

S:        3 out of 3
L:        3 out of 3
V:        3 out of 3

==========
X-RAMR-ID: 36851
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1240790
X-RT-TitleID: 1127008
X-RT-AuthorID: 1370
X-RT-RatingText: B