21 Grams

Primed for it though I was by Inarittu's gorgeous contribution to Chacun son cinéma, I almost gave up on 21 Grams about 15 minutes in - the grittiness combined with the rapid jumping between stories and times was keeping me at a distance, and I was pretty tired. It repays the effort, though, unfurling into something that's intense and true-feeling. The performances are uniformly excellent, including that of the director himself, at once heightenedly dramatic and firmly anchored; it packs a heavy emotional punch, too. The film's no masterpiece, but it shows plenty.