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21 Grams
2003 124 min United States of America R 16+
★7.9
Drama, Crime, Thriller
Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Trailers
Description
Paul Rivers, an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English émigré; Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife and mother of two girls; and Jack Jordan, a born-again ex-con, are brought together by a terrible accident that changes their lives.
Budget:
$20M
US Gross:
$16.29M
Worldwide:
$60.43M
Starring
Sean Penn
Actor
Benicio Del Toro
Actor
Naomi Watts
Actor
Awards
Venice Film Festival 2003
— Wella Prize
Venice Film Festival 2003
— Volpi Cup – Best Actor
Venice Film Festival 2003
— Audience Award – Best Actress
BAFTA 2004
— Best Film Editing
Academy Awards 2004
— Best Supporting Actor
Venice Film Festival 2003
— Wella Prize
Venice Film Festival 2003
— Golden Lion
César Awards 2005
— Best International Feature Film
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2004
— Best Supporting Actor
European Film Awards 2003
— Screen International Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2004
— Best Actress
Venice Film Festival 2003
— Volpi Cup – Best Actor
Venice Film Festival 2003
— Audience Award – Best Actress
BAFTA 2004
— Best Actress
Venice Film Festival 2003
— Audience Award – Best Actor
Key opinion
21 Grams is a profound, emotionally grueling drama that masterfully weaves together three tragic lives through a complex, non-linear narrative. While the film’s bleak subject matter and fragmented structure can be challenging, it is widely praised as an intense and technically ambitious exploration of the human soul.
| Acting | The central performances from Naomi Watts and Benicio del Toro are widely cited as outstanding, realistic, and emotionally raw anchors for the film. | |
| Direction | The director’s distinct vision succeeds in translating deep inner suffering and psychological distress into a visceral, scar-inducing cinematic experience. | |
| Editing | The fragmented, non-chronological structure is a point of contention; some viewers appreciate how it builds into a cohesive, meaningful mosaic, while others find the editing initially irritating or flawed. | |
| Cinematography | The dark, near-monochrome visual palette and mobile, hand-held camerawork effectively capture the characters' extreme psychological states. | |
| Emotion | The film’s heavy, unrelenting exploration of grief and existential dread is so profound that it risks being perceived as emotionally exhausting rather than merely somber. |