21 Grams

21 Grams is a tough sell. It’s gritty. It has moments of sadness, and moments of heartbreak. It’s bleak. Of the three main characters, one has a heart that is about to give up, one loses her husband and daughters in a car crash and one loses his job and actually causes the car crash. So, not exactly a Friday night in with a few beers type of DVD.

But, it is a cracking good film. The real test for me with films these days is how much I remember about a film the day after watching it. It’s almost a week now, and I’m still remembering scenes, moments, snippets of dialogue. What’s more, I’m finding that the memory of these is sparked by something that happens, or something that someone says, around me. This film creeped under my skin in its slow pace and back and forth editing, but I retained every last beat. That for me is an indication that all elements of the film clicked, and I can only recommend people to see it for that reason.

The writing and directing are subtle, but hit the marks. The editing is masterful – the non-linear approach to the film is taken beyond the ease of say Pulp Fiction where you knew where you were at most points. Here, for at least the first half hour, you have no clue as to what order things are happening. Yet, somehow, it all makes sense, and when the conclusion starts slapping you round the face, its all the more effective for it. Big congrats to the director and editor keeping their heads to get through it, and I imagine the writer is looking forward to something ‘more straightforward’ for his next project, but perhaps he shouldn’t.

The cast are, without a doubt, superb. Sean Penn seems to be entering a renaissance with fellow former bad boy Johnny Depp as the actors to watch. Here he breaths harshly with the help of an oxygen tank. You never doubt he is ill, but when we see the moments where he is better, well you don’t doubt that he’s healthy and full of beans either.
Naomi Watts continues her march on the heels of Kidman, Zellwegger and the like to start stealing all the good roles. Mrs Zeta-Douglas, you have a lot more to worry about than Tom’s ex. What could have been quite a hammy role, is delivered beautifully. The highlight, or rather lowlight, is when she finds out the fate of her family. I cried, and that doesn’t happen often these days, and it was all down to the way she played the scene. I’ll reserve judgment over the Oscar til I see Monster, but Charlize Theron would have to be going some to better Watts here.
Benicio Del Toro is a funny fish. Who didn’t wail ‘NO!’ at the screen when he was the first to cop it in The Usual Suspects? He shone out in Traffic, and won an Oscar for it, and perhaps he should have picked up another here also. Again, its not the ‘look at me’ school of acting on display, but the subtle little things that really add up to convince you of the character being real. One that springs to mind was so simple, and yet so effective, was a scene where Del Toro is sat with his boss. We all do it, but don’t realize it, jiggling one leg when we’re nervous. See the scene, and you’ll know what I mean.

Do I recommend this? Yes. Absolutely. But with some reservation. It will be one of those films you should see if you’re a film lover, or at least a ‘good’ film lover. But be warned its not a movie to wind down to, or watch pizza and chat with friends. See it, but see it in silence.

- 21 out of 10 says Fletch