Prior Viewings: 1
Needed more Lockjaw and Sensei in my life, apparently.
21 Grams is structured like a disorienting puzzle. It's told from three different perspectives, and it's presented in a non-linear manner. You'll probably need a few minutes to find your bearings, and you might initially get the sense that Iñárritu is only employing these gimmicks because he thinks they're cool (Amores Perros is similarly told out of order), but you soon realize that this is not only an incredibly effective means of creating a looming threat, but it also cleverly depicts just how fractured and frenzied these characters' lives are.
Because, again, like Amores Perros, this is a movie about pain and grief and loss, and about how those scars never truly leave us. Emotionally-speaking, it doesn't matter how this story is put together; the agony is relentless. Pretty bleak stuff, no doubt, but it's also haunting and powerful as hell. And the harrowing intensity is made all the more potent by some grainy photography and three unforgettable performances.
Hits just as hard on a rewatch, if not moreso.
Grade: A