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Composed, Performed, and Co-Produced by:
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Gustavo Santaolalla
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Co-Produced by:
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Alejandro González Iñárritu
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Release Date:
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December 9th, 2003
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... only if you enjoyed the use of the score as a dulling sound
effect in the film and are prepared for its slow mush of sonic despair on
album.
Avoid it... if you don't want to feel as though someone has just
clubbed you in the head and you're stumbling around in a dazed stupor.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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21 Grams: (Gustavo Santaolalla) From Alejandro González
Iñárritu, the Mexican filmmaker who hit the big screen with a big splash due
to his Academy Award nomination for Amores Perros in 2000, seems fond
of presenting films out of chronological order. Such is the case once again
with 21 Grams in 2003, a film that tells the doomed tale of torment
and salvation through the lives of three people connected by a single
traffic accident. Their lives are presented before, during, and after this
connection in a disjointed series of time and location shifts, with the
numbing whole of the film brilliantly, but disturbingly painting a glum
overall picture. The film spent several weeks just below the mainstream
radar late in 2003, but received a decent response from critics and
audiences alike. Iñárritu's fascination with this disconnected form of
storytelling, however, wears thin despite the magnificence of its own
concept, and the score is yet another sometimes baffling piece of the 21
Grams puzzle. Once a radio personality, Iñárritu seems enthused by the
selections of songs and sounds for his scores. Interestingly, the
distinction is exactly that: he utilizes songs from several genres in the
film while experimenting with sound effects as music in the moments in
between the songs. He has collaborated with Gustavo Santaolalla for his two
previous projects of note, and the trilogy of music stands as an exercise in
experimental minimalism, much like the construct of the films themselves.
Unlike the previous two projects, Santaolalla, winner of four Latin Grammy
Awards, was involved with 21 Grams from the pre-production process,
with sequences of music written based on the composer's interpretation of
the script. That music was then played at shooting sessions to get the
actors into the correct frame of mind for their performances. Iñárritu is
quick and often to praise this score as magical masterpiece of emotion, a
"telepathic miracle."
Then again, you have to take into account the somewhat
deranged (talented, but still deranged) methodology of Iñárritu as a
director. Whereas he finds Santaolalla's score for 21 Grams to be
wildly inspiring, it's just as easy to dismiss the music as aimless,
lethargic sound effects lacking in personality and distinction. The score
doesn't lack purpose, for its meandering solo performances likely serve the
film well in conveying the surreal environment of the story. On album,
however, Santaolalla's work can be boring, if not tedious, with extended
cues of guitar chords droning and pulsating with minimal, if not
non-existent rhythms. There are no themes, no motifs, no repeating rhythms
or instrumentation... nor is there seemingly a connection between any of the
cues outside of their depressingly distant and lazy attitude in performance.
Had the performances been sharp in their demeanor, then the ensemble of
guitars, vibes, violin, pipes, harmonium, ronroco, and bandoleon could have
provided some interesting material. And yet, the mixing of the album, as
well the electronic accompaniment, blurs the music into one slow,
excruciating movement. Additionally, the mood of despair is extended by
Benicio del Toro's hideously monotone performance of "Shake Rattle and
Roll," as well as vocal sound effects from the film mingling with the score
in "Can Dry Leaves Help Us?". Even the song selections scattered throughout
the album can't set a clear direction for the music, with rap, gospel and
classic rock, mixed with a neo-classical performance at the end which
likewise suffers from a blow to the head of each of the musicians. The
dulling effect of the score for 21 Grams is extraordinary, and if a
film was ever to require a piece of music that could squash your senses and
make you feel as though you're either hung over or have been punched in the
head, then this music is your ticket to success. Otherwise, it's a pointless
presentation of sound effects and intentionally blurry underscore mixed to a
slow mush of sonic despair. *
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Do We Lose 21 Grams? (2:28)
• 2. Can Things Be Better? (1:16)
• 3. Did This Really Happen? (1:02)
• 4. Cut Chemist Suite - performed by Ozomatli (4:32)
• 5. Should I Let Her Know? (1:27)
• 6. Can Emptiness Be Filled? (1:05)
• 7. Shake Rattle and Roll - performed by Benicio del Toro (6:09)
• 8. Can I Be Forgiven? (1:37)
• 9. Low Rider - performed by WAR (3:08)
• 10. Is There a Way to Help Her? (0:45)
• 11. Does He Who Looks for the Truth, Deserve the Punishment for Finding It? (1:41)
• 12. You're Losing Me - performed by Ann Sexton (2:17)
• 13. Can Dry Leaves Help Us? (3:53)
• 14. Can We Mix the Unmixable? (Remix) (1:59)
• 15. Can Light Be Found in the Darkness? (2:22)
• 16. When Our Wings Are Cut, Can We Still Fly? - performed by The Kronos Quartet (2:27)
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The insert includes detailed information about the score from director Alejandro González Iñárritu.
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