Saw 21 Grams last night.
Staggering movie. Raw, stark realism.
The story revolves around a 35-ish Math Professor with terminal heart disease, a young Mother whose husband and three children are killed in an auto accident, and the driver of the hit-run pickup truck, a born-again Christian with an ex-con background.
It explores the twists and turns of sex, (don't they all!), drugs, heart transplants, human emotion and commitment, and impending death. In short, it's about life lived fast and full of compromise.
I've rarely seen a movie with more rawness; there is absolutely no attempt at all to 'gild the lily', as so typically happens in Hollywood movies. This is not escapism at all, it's full-on confrontation.
The Director is Mexican, and aside from the extreme close-up, jerky cinematography (which is very effective at conveying desperation), I understand it's based on a book by a Spaniard.
The interesting thing about this movie is the stark style of production, and the many deep philosophical themes it explores. You could see it four times and still be gaining insights.
Naomi Watts, Australian/British girl, is very good, but the performance from Melissa Yeo, the young Mother (I think that is her name, but she was not well credited) is seminal. She deserved the award, not Watts.
I strongly recommend this film; I suspect it was shot in CA or TX, but there are almost no clues as to location. It could be almost any US location within 1000 miles of the Mexican border.
Cheers,
Hugh
