21 Grams (2003)

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Eddie Marsan, Melissa Leo, Danny Huston, Clea DuVall, John Rubinstein, Paul Calderón. [R]

Dismal drama bracketing the bleak lives of three individuals greatly affected by a single tragic event. Del Toro is an ex-con who found God, Watts is a recovering addict with a husband (Huston) and two kids, Penn has a bum ticker and will die soon without a transplant. These narratives are presented in non-linear fragments, a filmmaking decision that seems based at least in part on a “meaning of life” mathematical theory espoused by Del Toro’s character at one point, but this is hyperlink cinema pushed to its extremes and only feels like an arty gimmick straining under the weight of its own self-importance. It would have improved if reassembled in a more conventional pattern, but even then, the story thoroughly wallows in grief and pain, allowing for limited humanity (and no respite whatsoever). Rescued by Iñárritu’s accomplished scenic microcosm craft and the exceptional, haunting performances by the three leads.

71/100