USA Release: December 23, 2003
Starring: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benecio Del Toro
Directed by Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu
You can catch this movie all through the month of August on Encore, Encore Drama and Encore Love and in September on Starz Edge. If you don’t get either of these channels I highly recommend you subscribe – fast – or run right out and rent 21 Grams. How I missed this film in 2003/2004 I just don’t know but if, like me, you missed it, too, you’ve just gotta remedy that. And if you did catch it back in 2003/2004 now would be a great time to revisit it.
Fantastic directing, beautiful editing and exceptional performances by Penn, Watts and Del Toro are just the tip of this film’s iceberg, all of which earned the film over 50 Award nominations, including 2 Oscar nominations, and 20 wins. It just goes to show you, once again, that the best movies are not the ones you hear the most about.
The story is riveting. Touching on the realities of life for transplant patients and their families, families of accident victims, and those who are responsible for accidental deaths, it gives us an inside look at the affect these issues have on personal lives and the value people place on their own lives and the lives of others.
“How many lives do we live? How many times do we die? They say we all lose 21 grams... at the exact moment of our death. Everyone. And how much fits into 21 grams? How much is lost? When do we lose 21 grams? How much goes with them? How much is gained? How much is gained? Twenty-one grams. The weight of a stack of five nickels. The weight of a hummingbird. A chocolate bar. How much did 21 grams weigh?”
These are the last lines of the film, delivered by Sean Penn in the role of Paul Rivers. The events leading to these lines are offered in non-linear format, presenting pieces of the story for the viewer to puzzle together. Yes, folks, this movie actually requires you to think. What a concept. And yet, the viewer is not hopelessly lost in this format. There is a readily discernable pattern to the puzzle pieces, a pattern which becomes clearer as events unfold. As I said, the directing and editing were wonderful.
I’d like to point you to a comment on IMDB.com, Esotercat's Riveting Review of "21 Grams". In part, she states, “The ‘plot’ almost seems inconsequential. The film is about the depth of human feeling in our brief interplay between living and dying. It's about damnation and redemption, revenge and forgiveness, surrender and salvation. It offers no explanations. It merely illustrates the human experience in a trenchant manner that makes us aware that every minute of every day is a precarious drama that we look upon more lightly than we should. The dramatic cortex is the human heart-lost, gained, tormented, anguished and confused. The metaphorical context is the fleeting nature of each heart's temporal beat and our desperately valiant struggle to flesh out our mortal hearts' desires.”
For me, Esotercat has said it all, and so much more beautifully than I ever could. I hope you’ll hop over and read her full review and I hope you’ll make it your new mission in life to see this film. It’s an experience that, while it may not change your life, may make you see it in a whole new way. Or not…....what the heck, it’s a great movie experience, even if it doesn’t change your life.
Starring: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benecio Del Toro
Directed by Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu
You can catch this movie all through the month of August on Encore, Encore Drama and Encore Love and in September on Starz Edge. If you don’t get either of these channels I highly recommend you subscribe – fast – or run right out and rent 21 Grams. How I missed this film in 2003/2004 I just don’t know but if, like me, you missed it, too, you’ve just gotta remedy that. And if you did catch it back in 2003/2004 now would be a great time to revisit it.
Fantastic directing, beautiful editing and exceptional performances by Penn, Watts and Del Toro are just the tip of this film’s iceberg, all of which earned the film over 50 Award nominations, including 2 Oscar nominations, and 20 wins. It just goes to show you, once again, that the best movies are not the ones you hear the most about.
The story is riveting. Touching on the realities of life for transplant patients and their families, families of accident victims, and those who are responsible for accidental deaths, it gives us an inside look at the affect these issues have on personal lives and the value people place on their own lives and the lives of others.
“How many lives do we live? How many times do we die? They say we all lose 21 grams... at the exact moment of our death. Everyone. And how much fits into 21 grams? How much is lost? When do we lose 21 grams? How much goes with them? How much is gained? How much is gained? Twenty-one grams. The weight of a stack of five nickels. The weight of a hummingbird. A chocolate bar. How much did 21 grams weigh?”
These are the last lines of the film, delivered by Sean Penn in the role of Paul Rivers. The events leading to these lines are offered in non-linear format, presenting pieces of the story for the viewer to puzzle together. Yes, folks, this movie actually requires you to think. What a concept. And yet, the viewer is not hopelessly lost in this format. There is a readily discernable pattern to the puzzle pieces, a pattern which becomes clearer as events unfold. As I said, the directing and editing were wonderful.
I’d like to point you to a comment on IMDB.com, Esotercat's Riveting Review of "21 Grams". In part, she states, “The ‘plot’ almost seems inconsequential. The film is about the depth of human feeling in our brief interplay between living and dying. It's about damnation and redemption, revenge and forgiveness, surrender and salvation. It offers no explanations. It merely illustrates the human experience in a trenchant manner that makes us aware that every minute of every day is a precarious drama that we look upon more lightly than we should. The dramatic cortex is the human heart-lost, gained, tormented, anguished and confused. The metaphorical context is the fleeting nature of each heart's temporal beat and our desperately valiant struggle to flesh out our mortal hearts' desires.”
For me, Esotercat has said it all, and so much more beautifully than I ever could. I hope you’ll hop over and read her full review and I hope you’ll make it your new mission in life to see this film. It’s an experience that, while it may not change your life, may make you see it in a whole new way. Or not…....what the heck, it’s a great movie experience, even if it doesn’t change your life.
4 comments:
Caught this one the other night. Sean Penn is great and Naomi Watts is out of sight. She was so great I just can't believe it. I was ready to go out and kill the guy for her myself.
Thanks for pointing me to this one, Dudette. It was worth the Encore subscription for the entire month.
I'm soooo glad you watched it, Huey. Naomi really was fantastic, wasn't she? She totally 'Gary Oldmaned' that role. LOL!!!
NO! No, no, no, no, no, no, no!! You did NOT say that!!!!! Dudette, you are EVIL!!
Heh-heh-heh. You know I can squeeze that name in anywhere - anywhere. LOL!!!!
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