21 GRAMS

US, 2003, 124 minutes, Colour.
Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio del Toro, Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu impressed critics and the public with his grim and earthy picture of men and dogs in Amores Perros. He then contributed a segment to the portmanteau film, 9/11/01 (which was mainly darkness with sounds except for a man falling from one of the twin towers). Sean Penn also contributed a short story to this film.

Here he combines with Sean Penn (Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for this role) to make his English-language feature debut. And it is an impressive film.

There were three stories in Amores Perros which intercut with each other. This time Inarritu has three central characters whose stories intersect in tragic ways. He plays with time by introducing the characters with scenes from the present, quickly moving to the past or to the future. At first, one wonders whether the three stars are playing more than one character each, so different do they seem. Gradually, we are able to put the very varied jigsaw pieces together and to work out the linear story. Some critics have remarked that if you put this linear plotline down, it seems a basic and rather ordinary story. Maybe. But the fact is that Inarritu and his writer, Guillermo Arriaga who also wrote Amores Perros have decided to challenge the audience to work at understanding the characters, the complexity of their motivations, the decisions they make and the consequences of their actions.

The three stars give powerful performances. Penn is an ailing maths professor in a loveless marriage waiting for a heart transplant. His wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg, has returned to him to help during the convalescence and wants to have a child. Naomi Watts (Oscar-nominated) is a happily married woman with two daughters. Benicio Del Toro is equally impressive as a petty criminal with drinking and drug problems who has found Jesus and is fervent and evangelical in his conversion. Their paths cross - but this has to be seen as the film unfolds.

Many of the conversations turn on the meaning of life and of the world. The maths professor loves and lives by numbers which give a sense of order and interconnectedness. The wife's decisions are almost all emotional. The criminal has found the Lord but is challenged to see whether he deeply believes that all is dependent on God. The 21 grams sounds like a bit of urban legend. Allegedly everyone loses 21 grams when they die - the weight of the soul?

Grainy, gritty, grim - but compelling.

1. The film's acclaim, nominations and awards?

2. The work of the director, Amores Perros, his Mexican background and perspective? Career? Working with his writer in the US? The Mexican perspective on the US?

3. The use of the hand-held camera, the saturated colour, the grainy footage, the more formal framing of set scenes? The combination of these elements of style? The score?

4. The use of Memphis, the average American city, the drab areas, the affluent areas, shops and restaurants, swimming pools and bowling? Prisons, police precincts? The golf club? The cross-section of the real American city, heightened for the purposes of the drama? The locations outside the city, the use of New Mexico settings, the motel, the empty swimming pool, the work site, the roads?

5. The structure of the film: the introduction to the three characters, the non-linear presentation of the events, the ending shown near the beginning, audiences not aware of this, beginning to put the pieces together, the repetitions of scenes, the jigsaw effect? Pace and editing? The characters as seemingly different characters, the complexity of characters by the jigsaw effect? The interconnectedness? Dependence of each character on the other? Had it been made in linear fashion, what would have been the impact?

6. The screenplay and themes of fate, destiny, providence, chance, design, God's will - and issues of freedom of will or actions determined by an unseen power?

7. The three world views of the central characters: Cristina and her total emotional response to life, relationships? Paul as the maths professor, his explanation to Cristina about numbers, combinations, mathematics as a way of interpreting the world? The contrast with Jack, his hopelessness in his early life, the born-again Christian, the perspective of the enthusiastic born-again evangelist, his faith being tested by his actions?

8. The title, the reference to all humans losing 21 grams at the moment of death and the indication that this could be the weight of the soul? Death as the death of the body, the liberation of the soul?

9. The themes of death: Paul, his illness, the transplant and his not dying, the weakness of his heart, the possibility that he would die again soon, facing death comforted in the hospital or facing death outside, his final actions and his shooting himself? Having to die again? The accidental death of Cristina's husband and her children? The plan to murder Jack? The consequences of death?

10. Themes of love: Paul, his marriage to Mary, the collapse of the marriage, his liking Cristina, coming to love her? Mary and her love for Paul, wanting the child - for herself or for them both? Cristina's love for her husband and children, expressed in grief for them? Jack and his love for his wife, the hard times, his love for his children? Cristina and the unborn child?

11. Themes of sin and responsibility, in each of the three characters, guilt, accepting of responsibility, vengeance, forgiveness?

12. The portrait of Paul: the mathematics professor, his life before his illness, his marriage to Mary, his infidelities, the separation, her pregnancy and abortion? His illness, on the list for the transplant, his going into the bathroom to smoke, Mary reprimanding him? Her proposal about the baby, his discovery that she had an abortion, the doctor and the discussions, his agreement in writing? His arguments with Mary? Not wanting to preserve the marriage, at the doctor's, at the lift, the scenes at home, his going to see Cristina, Mary and her packing and going? The phone call to have the operation, the experience of the operation, the aftermath? The celebration at home with the guests, Mary's announcing the news about the IVF, his challenging her about her motivation, wanting it private? His checking the identity of the heart donor? His following Cristina, talking to her in the restaurant, his comments about eating alone and the kidneys, his comment about her arm and swimming, at the bowling club, giving her a lift with the rain? Seeing her at the club, her drug-taking, her abusing the chauffeurs, his driving her home, leaving his jacket? His later seeing her, inviting her to dinner? Their talking, the explanation about mathematics? His saying that he liked her and her getting upset? His going in, telling her the truth about his heart? The phone call in the night, his going, the sexual encounter? Seeing her taking drugs and trying to stop her? His response to her anger, wanting to kill Jack, going to his contact and getting the gun? Driving with Cristina to the motel, his confronting Jack, shooting behind Jack, telling him to leave? Lying to Cristina? Jack's reappearance, the confrontation, his shooting himself? Going to the hospital, his death? His living on in the child with Cristina?

13. The portrait of Cristina, her initial drug-taking, her relationship with her sister, her father and talk about her mother's death and grief? His being able to be calm? Swimming and her feeling normal? The good relationship with her sister? The mobile phone, her husband speaking, the children walking along the street? At home, cleaning up the rooms? The photos, the phone call about their deaths? Rushing to the hospital, her grief, her sister and father comforting her? The doctor and the news? The discussions about permission to donate the heart? The aftermath, the memories, listening to her husband's voice on the mobile phone? Her increased drinking, drug-taking, contact with her old friend, in the restroom and taking the pills? Paul watching her, her tantrum with the car, driving her home? Her not remembering? Paul's approach, telling her the truth, her anger? Her phoning during the night, the sexual encounter, her drugs and wanting to kill Jack, going with Paul, believing that Jack had been killed? His reappearance, her desperation? Urging Jack to call the ambulance, getting him to drive Paul to the hospital? Her not wanting to prosecute Jack earlier, her sister urging her to, the transition to anger? Her forgiving him at the end, withdrawing the charges? The child and her future?

14. The portrait of Jack: his early life, a life of continued petty crime, drugs and alcoholism? His being in prison, his conversion? His relationship with his wife, with the children, their response to him? Not having much money, the poor house? His conversion, the minister as his friend, his language of the Gospel, being born again, interpreting things in the light of Jesus his Saviour? His trying to convert the boy - and his anger with him during the game in the yard and the minister's intervention? The prayer meetings, his singing with vigour, his children praying, his wife watching him? His religious tattoos, the cross (and in despair his later slitting the points of the cross on his arm)? His work at the golf club, his being sacked because of his tattoos? His friendship with Brown, dismissed, later seeing Brown, having a drink with him? At home, telling his wife that he had been sacked, his son hitting his daughter, the making of her turn the other cheek, his hitting his son, making him stand in the corner? His wife's desperation at this behaviour? His going to meet Brown, the motive for driving fast, taking the corner too fast, the hit-run? The preparation of his birthday party, his being upset, his wife's response, washing the car, saying that he should not give himself up, his family needing him? His wanting to give himself up, the motivation? Religious? Going to prison, lying down, a sense of despair, not wanting to see the minister who visited him? His God-language, God giving him the truck, the motifs of faith on the truck, it being the instrument of death, therefore God and determinism of the death of the family? His serving his sentence, coming out, not wanting to see his wife, her anger, the minister talking to him? His going home, the boy not greeting him, giving his daughter the present of a kiss, the reconciliation with his wife for the children's sake? His leaving in the night, his wife's desperate phone calls? Working on the site, the confrontation with Paul, the shots, Paul urging him to go away and disappear? His going to his room, the encounter with Paul and Cristina, Paul shooting himself? His driving Paul to the hospital? His wanting to be guilty, discussing with the police, no charges? His being forgiven? His going back to the family, religious practice?

15. The sketch of Cristina's husband, architect, the two daughters, cooking at home, the ordinary life? Her husband's phone call, the gardener being seen working and the truck going past, the audience hearing the crash although they had already seen the sequence with the dead bodies?

16. The contrast between Cristina's family and Jack's family, the comparisons, similarities?

17. The portrait of Mary, the marriage, its breakdown, her pregnancy and abortion, wanting IVF, wanting the child to bring Paul back to her? Caring for him for the operation, supervising him, the cigarettes, going to the hospital? Telling the news to the guests, the motives for her wanting the child, for herself? Her finally leaving? The irony of Cristina's having Paul's child?

18. The sketch of the minor characters, the family planning doctor, the transplant doctor? The contact for information and for the guns? The portrait of the minister, his genuine religion, support of Jack? The religious services?

19. A satisfying human drama, the depth of the themes, the religious dimension?