21 Grams Rebalanced

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21 Grams Rebalanced
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2003
Original Running Time:
124
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
112
Time Cut:
12
Brief Synopsis:
A more linear/chronological version of 21 Grams. This new version allows the viewer to experience the events in the same fashion as the characters, allowing a different take on the same material.
Intention:
“In this film everything has already happened, and it’s as if God, or the director, is shuffling the deck after the game is over. Here is the question we have to answer: Is this approach better than telling the same story from beginning to end?” – Roger Ebert

I have always been a huge fan of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s films (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel, Biutiful etc.) I always liked 21 Grams and never really had a problem with the fractured, non-linear structure of the story.

Some reviewers (i.e. Ebert) feel the non-linear structure was unnecessary and even a cheap trick or “stunt” that didn’t add anything to the story. I don’t really agree with this sentiment but I understand it. With that being said, my intention for this fanedit was to make a more linear and chronological version of the film.
Special Thanks:
Thanks to g1orkatsos for making the cover art, disc art, and a custom “Gatos Features” logo in the style of the “Focus Features” logo.
Thanks to LastSurvivor for designing a Main Menu and Scene Selection Menu for the DVD.
Thanks to Rogue-theX for helping me with some sound issues.
Thanks to elbarto1 for reviewing one of my early workprints.
Thanks to Neglify for reviewing a workprint.
Thanks to L8wrtr for reviewing a workprint and sending me an essay-length private message convincing me to change the order of a key scene in the movie!
Release Information:
DVD
Editing Details:
This edit is not 100% chronological. I replaced the opening scene and kept the “bookends” intact.

This edit was really like trying to put together a puzzle and figure out which scenes go where (or rather where I thought they should go). Sound editing led to some interesting results, as the beautiful score done by Gustavo Santaolalla often is spread over two scenes that are on different parts of the “time-line” of the story.

*Editor’s note: For those who haven’t watched their theatrical disk of 21 Grams in a while, it should be remembered that the theatrical edit utilizes lots of quick cuts and the film is very grainy at times (and my edit doesn’t “fix” these things).*
Cuts and Additions:

- replaced “Focus Features” logo with “Gatos Features” logo
- replace opening scene
- new title cards (in same font style as the theatrical version)
- rearranged a LOT of scenes
- removed repeated/alternate angle “look Daddy a pigeon!” scene
- removed first scene of Jack’s birthday party
- removed Paul’s first meeting with the Private Investigator
- removed Paul going to Cristina’s house and ringing the door bell
- removed Paul watching Cristina swim at the Sports Club
- removed Cristina sitting up in bed while Paul is sleeping
- removed Jack returning to the motel from work and Paul saying hello to him
- removed repeated/alternate angle “You shouldn’t have done it!” scene
- removed repeated/alternate angle “Call an ambulance!” scene
- removed repeated scene of Paul walking in the desert
- removed repeated scene of Cristina in the motel bathroom
- removed repeated/alternate angle scene of Paul sitting by the pool
- removed repeated scene of Jack walking by the motel rooms
- shortened the end credits and removed the Spanish-language “dedication”
Cover art by g1orkatsos (DOWNLOAD HERE)
image

Trailer

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This is an old edit that probably more people should try to check out. Not everyone will like the film, not even in this version, but it's a testament to what fan-editing can do.

The original version of 21 Grams was really hard for me to get into. It's not just chronologically-mixed, it's edited with jarring, rapid cuts and many scenes that are mere seconds long. It's already a complex, criss-crossing story, so there's plenty to keep track of even when told in a straightforward manner. I think that the original editing technique, regardless of its intention, really does cover up the story's lack of depth by just making you focus on piecing together the narrative.

I wrote longer thoughts on the film itself, and how it works better in this version, here: https://boxd.it/2YlObL
The long and short of it is though, that this is absolutely a better way to watch the film. The editor has restructured it to keep the spirit of you not fully-knowing the events until some characters cross over later, but this time it has more impact (no pun intended) due to you knowing about the lives of those characters beforehand. You know what there is to be lost. This is a more immersive way to watch the film, and allows you to focus on the great performances instead of being so plot-focused.

That said, there are still barriers in the edit. The editor couldn't work with material that wasn't there, and the original cut features abrupt scene transitions and rough visuals. So here, too, the visual quality is not great, the audio transitions have a few abrupt moments, and scenes can be very short and move to something else in rather a jarring way. I think the editor did a great job with the material available (although the file size on this reveals an opportunity to do a higher-fidelity version) but it is a real limitation.

The restructuring and all the cuts and arrangements are great , EXCEPT the editor notes they "removed Jack returning to the motel from work and Paul saying hello to him". As I understood it, this is how Jack figures out later that Paul wasn't just following him, but was actually staying at the hotel. Without this scene, the fanedit has a plot hole in that Jack seems to come out of nowhere at the end, for no reason. (Nevermind that you could argue in the original film it doesn't make much sense for them to say at the hotel anyway!)

I think I feel closest to the sentiments that l8wrtr expressed in their review below about this edit. It allows for more investment in characters, is actually more hopeful, and more meaningful. It revealed to me however that the film may just not be to my tastes, a film that's arguably pretentious and hiding behind artifice instead of offering any real insight to the human condition. The characters' motivations often don't make much sense, as is much clearer in this cut, and we simply have to shrug and say "well, they're flawed people who make horrible choices". I always wonder when I watch these kind of critically lauded films, "How did these people live to be as old as they are only to spectacularly self-destruct as soon as one bad thing happens to them?" The contrivance belies that fact that people overcome traumatic life events all the time.

Personal tastes aside though, for sure there is an audience for this film. And when you're going to watch, this is the way to watch it!

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This review is shamefully late. I was chatting with Beezo about favorite edits and I realized I had never actually written a review of this beautiful edit. So after much delay...

This is quite simply my favorite fanedit that I have ever seen. It not only represents all the best that fanediting has to offer, the resulting film is incredible.

Audio/Video Quality
Flawless. No loss between original and fanedit.

Visual Editiong
Flawless work here. Truly seamless. Every edit feels natural. No flash frames, no amateurish work here. Indistinguishable from a theatrical release

Audio Editing
Again, flawless work. Not a single stray audio note that I could find and again, indistinguishable from a theatrical release.

So before I get into the narrative, this edit represents everything that every faneditor should be aspiring to create. Each edit is hidden. No change stands out. If you were to show this to a person who'd never seen the original, I guarantee you they'd think it was simply the theatrical version. It is as good as it gets.

But where it really matters is the narrative.
Truth be told, I hated the original. To be clear, 21 Grams IS a very good movie, but it's not a very enjoyable movie. After watching it, my wife and I swore to never watch it again. We only bought it so that I could provide some feedback to Gatos on his workprint. The original beats the viewer down at every turn. The non-linear editing of the original is a constant weight that makes it actually feel oppressive, and when the movie finally fades to black the message is haunting, desolate and barren.

Gatos' edit reveals that the story itself is actually.. beautiful. To borrow a theme from one of my all-time favorite movies.. "Look closer...". Freed from the constant jumping around of the original, Gatos' linear approach allows you to experience the story as a normal person would, you feel the devastation of loss, the rebuilding.. the challenges.. and in the end, even though it ends exactly the same way.. the journey feels like a validation or vindication of life, rather than feeling life is fleeting, pathetic and pointless.

It's important to note however, Gatos didn't just put it chronological order. There was a great deal of leeway he had in how to stitch the pieces together and still be 'chronological'. But the timing of his edits, the sequences that he juxtaposed against each other were truly wonderful. Each cut is perfectly paired with the piece that comes before and after, it helps guide your emotional journey in watching the events unfold.

It's pretty much unfair praise, but I'm doing it anyway.. When I walked out of seeing American Beautify the first time I knew I had seen Best Picture for that year. It was impressive and.. beautiful even though tragic. That is what Gatos has created here. For me it was every bit as rewarding as AB.

Well done Gatos.. 10/10 across the board. Best edit I have ever seen. Bar-none.

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Yes
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DVD
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Thank you, Gatos.

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Yes
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Owner's reply September 27, 2013

Best...Review...Ever?!

You're welcome, Rogue! Glad you enjoyed it.

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(Updated: October 14, 2012)
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Now, I haven't seen the, uh, Unbalanced version of 21 Grams, but I can't imagine it being better than this edit.

I was experiencing the narrative for the first time with 21 Grams Rebalanced, and the journey I was taken on was mindblowing. I can assume that some credit should go to the filmmakers, but the nuance of meaning feels as though it owes much to the chronological retelling.

Technically, this was a superb edit. The audio and video quality was top-notch, and played in great quality on my TV. More importantly, though, the editing of Rebalanced was some of the best I've ever seen. If I hadn't downloaded it myself, I would have had no idea this was a fan edit and not the original film. The editing was invisible, and I mean that in the best way possible.

This was not just one of the best fan edits I've ever seen, but one of the best films I've ever seen.

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"The structure simply doesn't let any of the characters build an arc of growth or despair; aside from being confusing, the narrative locks us out." - from Roger Ebert's review of 21 grams.

21 grams revisited justifies its existence on that quote alone.

It's been several years since I watched the original movie - it sits on the shelf in the "maybe another night" department. This is heavy material, and as Gatos knows, I have taken my sweet time to get around to finally watching and reviewing this edit for the same reason. You have to get your head into the right space to enter this movie, knowing what awaits you.

Having said that, I'm extremely glad that I finally did watch this edit. Without the 'lock out' that Ebert described, we are arguably more present with the characters, and more lost in their stories. Without the editing artiface that causes us to consistenty be reminded we are watching a story from a distance, we are now able to follow the natural flow of events. We can 'go on the journey' with the characters, and share their discoveries and revelations as they occur.

At this point, I should point out that I think the non-linear style in the original works equally well, but for different reasons. The fragmented model is arguably more poetic, and has to find a rhythm in a less traditional sense. It's a collage of hugely emotional and intense moments that we piece together - like a dream, as discussed in the lunch date scene between Watts and Penn. But from the point of view of relating more directly and personally to these characters and their stories, Gatos' version draws you right in, in a way that the original perhaps doesn't allow.

As for the balance of scenes, they work beautifully. Nothing feels out of place or missing. The pacing is spot on, and the impact very intense. This movie is a sledgehammer, but you feel grateful when it hits you in the face. The acting is so amazing, the music incredible, the cinematography the perfect balance of gritty, light and dark.

Technically, the editing is pretty much invisible save for two notable audio changes between scenes (but to be honest, I imagine there were many more potential moments like this that Gatos was cleverly able to avoid!). There was also a slight lip sync issue in the scene at the hospital when Watts receives the bad news. But this only lasted for a minute or so, and was nothing major.

Well done Gatos, you've offered a powerful alternative experience of an already powerful film that can proudly sit beside the original on the shelf. 10/10
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