- a short review of "21gram"
about "21gram" is indeed an excellent film with a great story. But this is also its biggest weakness. Just like you can never cook a meal and find out that there's an alien behind it, and you'll make it a story. Maybe you only see such a story when you are sitting in the cinema with popcorn and sitting in front of the computer with the lights turned off. Maybe it happens every day but you will never see it.
At the center of the film is redemption. Man is sinful, and atonement is what he needs. When Paul Rivers received Cristina Peck's husband's heart he was "in a hospital bed waiting for this man to die". His approach to Cristina Peck and his attempts to relieve the stress of her loneliness and upheaval are rooted in the fact that deep down, he is guilty, and that is atonement. Jack Jordan started believing in God two years ago, going to church to attend services, educating young people to believe in God, and even reciting the Bible, all to atone for the many sins he committed in the old days, and his surrender, his last Instead of falsely claiming that he killed Paul Rivers, it is actually a manifestation of redemption, and deep in his heart, he is actually conscious of guilt. He believed that the crash was not an accident, it was arranged by God, and it was a punishment.
In addition to the core issues, the screenwriters added more commercial elements, such as love (pornography), such as violence. And the combination of all this makes the story twists and turns and intriguing.
I have to admire director Agado Inari's narrative ability. Such a complex and bizarre structure can be said to be flawless in the film, and the extensive use of interludes and flashbacks also makes this very special story even more mysterious and fatalistic. Maybe this kind of processing has something to do with the director's background in advertising, and the maximum amount of information is concentrated in a short distance. Therefore, although this film has 125 minutes, the overall structure is not protracted at all, on the contrary, it is relaxed and handled properly.
As an actor, Sean Penn's performance is impeccable and precise, in every detail. However, it seems his performance is going in the wrong direction: it's a college professor, not a genteel frail bum. And Benicio Del Tor's performance is more authentic. A street gangster from childhood to adulthood, a middle-aged man who has nowhere to turn his prodigal son back, and a believer with a rude personality who believes in God. Perhaps, it should be Benicio del Toro. Or maybe his Mexican ancestry gave him a different face and temperament than Americans. Although he was not cheerful and even a little vulgar; although he was addicted to drinking and fighting, he bought a mouse for his child as a souvenir before he left. Or maybe it's because of the sincerity of this poor man who looks like a murderer, but tries to stay away from hell in his heart, which is even more touching. And the French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, who appeared in the supporting role, is, in my opinion, far better than the American actress Naomi Watts who appeared as the first heroine. Although the latter's performance is how brilliant, how deep and how hard. But glamour is enough to rely on just one expression.
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