By now, we all know that 21 grams are the weight we lose in the moment of death. Some say it is the weight of the soul - or "life", as it is. Some say that it is the burden, the grief, the anger of death that is lifted from the dead and put upon the shoulders of the living. I like the idea of life weighing exactly 21 grams, although the rational part of me rejects this as myth.
21 Grams is also the title of a new film (this, I believe, most of us also know by now), starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro.
I have loved Sean Penn for as long as I can remember. As a young man, he was so intense and heartbroken and just plain sad - a forerunner for the Joaquin Phoenix line of despair, almost - and a brilliant, brilliant actor. (Of course, there was Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, who wasn't particularly sad, but highly amusing). As he grows older he loses none of his intensity, but he grows dignified, and his acting takes on a new dimension of the experienced. From Carlito's Way to Mystic River to this, he is a joy to watch.

21 Grams is perhaps not joyful watching, but it is a supreme film. The usual themes are present; love, hate, redemption, grief, faith, death and such, dealt with in a mature, interesting way. None of the characters are particularly nice, none role-models, but all human and recognisable.

The film is at times almost unbearably sad - but for me, who revel in sadness, this is a good thing. Go see - but only if your attention span can deal with a juxtaposed time-structure, and not knowing for the first 15 minutes what is going on. And then you get it. And then you understand.
posted by charlotte at 17:01 - comment