Catriona Paul at the movies.

HOW MUCH does a life weigh? Apparently, at the exact moment of death, a person loses 21 grams. Alejandro González Inárritu’s latest film suggests death weighs much more heavily on those left behind. Naomi Watts and Benicio del Toro received Oscar nominations for their roles in this drama, and Sean Penn only missed out because the Academy preferred him in Mystic River. But is 21 Grams too weighty to be enjoyable?

Three lives are brought together by three deaths. A freak road accident deprives Cristina (Watts) of her family. Her husband’s heart is given to Paul Rivers (Penn). The hit-and-run driver is ex-con Jack (del Toro) who’s found God just in time to get angry and guilty when it all goes wrong. Rivers decides to find out about his second-hand heart only to fall in love with his donor’s wife. A relationship ensues, infused with moral ambiguity yet driven by passion and a desire to see retribution. Throughout, the sequence of events is skewed, the audience left uncertain what part of the story they are seeing.

The plot tells us that the film is going into unusual territory. But rise to the challenge and you’ll be richly rewarded. The acting alone makes it worthwhile. Raw and emotional, all boundaries are down. Attention to detail confirms the integrity of the film – the middle-class lives of Cristina and Paul contrasted with the labour of Jack, explicit in the parties they throw, the cars they drive, the jobs they have. Combine this quality with a glimpse of how it all ends and 21 Grams makes compelling viewing.

Without a doubt, this is a serious film. Don’t take a hangover. Do take someone who can remember the scenes you forget or somehow misplace. Final verdict: weighty but worth it.

21 GRAMS (15)
General release, selected cinemas.

Director: Alejandro González Inárritu
Writer: Guillermo Arriaga
Stars: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melissa Leo, Clea DuVall, Danny Huston, Eddie Marsan
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 125 mins
Country: USA
Year: 2003

© Catriona Paul, 2004