21 Grams: Worth its weight in gold

21 Grams

Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Cast: Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Danny Huston

Cert: 18

The title refers to the mass lost by the human body after death, so you know we are into very dark waters with this excellent and thoughtful drama.

The story, whose main theme is about the mixed emotions of those left behind after a death, concerns a dangerously ill professor (another fine performance from recent Oscar winner Penn) who is given the heart of a recent motor accident victim.

The professor then becomes obsessed with the fact that he lives because someone else died. He hires a private eye to find out where the heart came from, a search which eventually leads him to the widow (Watts) and into a romance.

The playing of the chief performers adds strength and depth to what is a powerful and well-told tale.

It is, given its subject matter, often quite a gloomy piece, and it takes time for all the various strands to be brought together.

But it is an outstanding film.

Star Rating: 4/5