21 Grams

Thank God for the fact that they still make films that can tug at your soul. I love films that don't lead me by the hand, that make me ask questions, think about them; 21 Grams is exactly that. Iñárritu's consistent disruption of the temporal sequence is a clear win in my eyes, piecing together the mosaic of temporal shards was exciting and thrilling in its own way. This great impression is enhanced by the handheld camera and the interesting work with sound in places. Standing above these technical matters is the emotionality and depth of the script and the performances. Benicio, Benicio, you are awesome, I’ve not other words to say it. It is good to know that despite all the messiness of life, there is always hope, that bright spot in the distance, and that great movies are still being made. (08/08/2004)

A superb example of postmodern cinematic narrative – Iñárritu breaks the chronology of the story into small pieces and composes its narrative from these pieces. He does not tell a story in the traditional sense, but forces the viewer to co-create it in the spirit of postmodern narrative, to be a kind of second authorial voice. Unlike Anderson's Magnolia, however, he goes even further in the deconstruction of the story – ignoring the rules of conventional space-time and serving the viewer a meddling of plots that are not anchored by the unity of time and place. The result is a riveting narrative form that prevents the perceptive viewer from tearing his eyes from the story, from missing the plot. The experience of the film is enhanced by the way it is captured - the handheld camera indulges in neurotic tremors and unpredictable movement the way Trier does it. All this is approached by excellent work with a soundtrack in which monotonous sound surfaces appear at key moments in addition to natural sounds, amplifying the emotional experience even more. Alejandro González Iñárritu is a true master of modern dramatic form, although from my subjective point of view his formal brilliance lacks the immediacy of experience and intimacy that is characteristic, for example, in the works of Lars Von Trier. Something even more absorbing. A subjective experience. Perhaps the fact that I felt that I was unnecessarily one step ahead in uncovering the plot... Otherwise – praise for the acting performances (I don't know who is the best, but probably the riveting culprit Benicio Del Toro wins after all), for the script, theme and inconspicuous music. 21 Grams is one of the best films about guilt, punishment, forgiveness and compassion that can be seen today. It definitely belongs in my TOP 3 for 2003 right next to Burton's Big Fish and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation. (28/03/2004)

This is an example of how an untraditional approach to narration serves only as an effective gimmick to turn a film into something more interesting than it actually is. I’m quite surprised at how many people say that 21 Grams is very emotional, I think it would be almost impossible to deal with a similar topic in a colder way. (14/02/2009)

I hate to say it, but I really didn't like this movie. It has a pretty simple story that is only intricately told to make it look more interesting, I feel it rather hurt the film. I found the flashbacks very hard to navigate, even more so when the film is so terribly boring, slow and not to mention emotional. Sean Penn's worst role yet. For me, a waste of time and all that hype even gave me a headache. (07/06/2014)

Iñárritu's next fascinating, ruthless analysis of life's journeys, where a single moment forever changes everything that has come before it, with no way back and no forgiveness possible. The acting of the main trio, which would surely deserve a statuette, only adds to the enormous power of this film, which in many ways follows the lead of the excellent Amores Perros. Sean Penn, teetering on the edge of life and death in the hospital is truly unforgettable with his monologue about "21 grams", as is Naomi Watts in the scenes involving the most intense emotions. (01/06/2009)