Sean Penn has had quite a year. He turned in two superb performances, one as a vengeful father, the other as a dying mathematician, in two of the best films of the year. The first film is Clint Eastwood’s tragic “Mystic River.” The second is “21 Grams,” which is director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s follow-up to the mesmerizing “Amores perros.” After a strong debut, some directors have been known to fall into the sophomore slump, but this is not the case with Iñárritu. “21 Grams” is powerful, raw, emotionally draining, haunting and impossible to forget. This is one of those rare films that stuck with me for days. Nearly every aspect of Iñárritu’s latest work is outstanding. The one possible problem with the film is its nonlinear narrative.
Iñárritu tells the story piece by piece, so that the film presents sequences out of chronological order, requiring the viewer to put the story in order. While this may be frustrating at first, about halfway through the film a sense of linearity begins to appear. But this storytelling style is the reason I am hesitant to divulge the main points of the plot. Simply put, the story is about how three individuals’ lives are brought together and completely changed by a car accident. Paul Rivers (Sean Penn, “Dead Man Walking”) is a dying mathematician; Cristina Peck (Naomi Watts, “Mulholland Drive”) is a wife and mother who traded in her wild party life for one of family; and Jack Jordan (Benicio Del Toro, “Traffic”) is a reformed ex-con who has now become a born-again Christian. To say any more would be unforgivable.
“21 Grams” showcases a trio of great performances, one being Penn’s, which I already mentioned. But Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro are equally phenomenal here. Both of them deserve Oscar nominations for their work — they have never been better. Yet the acting is only one area of technical expertise.
Iñárritu employs the talents of several members of his “Amores perros” crew to create and firmly hold the somber mood of the film. Gustavo Santaolalla’s melancholy score is penetrating, and Rodrigo Prieto’s gritty cinematography really captures the viewer’s attention. The photography here is all handheld, washed out and full of close-ups, resulting in a very raw sense of realism. Yet these visuals take on an almost poetic quality that reaffirms the value of life, which is one of the themes of the film. It is an arresting visual style.
Iñárritu’s collaborator Guillermo Arriaga has crafted a devastating script that engages the viewer. Yet herein lies the one problem: the story is so good that it makes one wonder if perhaps the film would have been just as powerful if told in a linear manner. I am inclined to think that it would. This raises another question: Why tell the story nonlinearly? This is a legitimate concern; however, I don’t believe the jigsaw-puzzle narrative distracts, and in an insightful way it visualizes two ideas. First, the characters’ lives are shattered (like the narrative) and the characters are, symbolically, left to pick up the pieces. Second, in looking back on our lives, memories are most often recalled without a sense of chronology. Yes, the narrative style borders on gimmick, but I found it to work. In no way does it take away from the overall impact of the film.
“Amores perros,” arguably one of the most stunning directorial debuts ever, introduced Alejandro González Iñárritu as a new cinematic force. “21 Grams” confirms this notion. It is a work of immense power.
Grade: A
