Alejandro González Iñárritu's long-anticipated film has finally arrived--and it's true when they say that "good things come to those who wait". Alejandro González Iñárritu first burst into Hollywood with the Academy Award nominated Amores Perros (translation: Love's a Bitch) in 2000. After a long three-year wait, he and writer Guillermo Arriaga have graced us once again with 21 Grams.
21 Grams is a beautifully and carefully constructed film. Technically flawless and serene in its narrative, this film will run well with discriminating filmgoers who enjoy sophisticated storytelling and don't mind (or even prefer) nonlinear formatting. Either way, prepare to be blown away. Scintillatingly raw, the kings and queen of drama are showcased like never before.
Iñárritu's cast includes impressive headliners like three-time Academy Award nominated Sean Penn, Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro and critically acclaimed award winner Naomi Watts. For those familiar with Iñárritu's Amores Perros (or Quentin Tarantino) fragmented storylines should be no surprise. The result is shyly chaotic; the beat of this story lulls you into its depth and into the world of these three characters. Iñárritu's talent as a filmmaker is his precise gift of immersing the audience in the story. Because you feel as though you are right there with them, the overall effect is much like an emotional wave.
Sean Penn is brilliant as Paul Rivers, a terminally ill mathematics professor who is in dire need of a heart transplant; on the sidelines, his desperate-for-a-baby wife (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg) aggravates him for a child. Naomi Watts embodies fruition onscreen as Cristina Peck, a wife and mother whose life is torn apart when her husband and two young daughters are killed in a hit-and-run accident. Watts is definitely in line for awards galore. Debuing in Mullholland Drive and then in the horrific horror flick (whew!) The Ring, she has proved that she is indeed the new chameleon of Hollywood. Benicio Del Toro delivers, in a mesmerizing portrayal as Jack Jordan, a struggling ex-con who is trying to live the right way but down on his luck; he devotes his life to his family and to God. It is obvious in 21 Grams why he is compared to the likeness of Marlon Brando; he has presence even when he doesn't speak.
These three separate lives are haphazardly strung together in a culmination of a tragic accident, only to unravel, revealing the ties that bind them together. Charlotte Gainsbourg, wife of Sean Penn's character, Clea Duvall as Naomi Watts' younger sister, and Melissa Leo playing the role of Benicio's wife, also bring spirit to the film, while Penn's poetic narration brings a memoir-like quality to the screen.
21 Grams is seductive, mysterious and heart wrenchingly humane-—a microscopic look at the hidden depths of emotion, humanity and hope. It reminds us that in life, despite the differing paths which we walk, we are all the same.
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