Introduction:
Seven is a movie centering on the desperate hunt
which two homicide detectives undertake for a
serial killer. Detective William Sommerset (Morgan
Freeman) is about to retire in a week when he
is partnered with young detective David Mills
(Brad Pitt). They are sent to investigate a murder
where an obese man was bound and fed, until his
stomach exploded. The movie engages the viewer
in murder scenes one after the other as the pair
is sent to investigate a subsequent murder of
a lawyer who was forced to sever a pound of flesh
from his own body. As they find the words ‘Gluttony’
and ‘Greed’ at both scenarios, a connection
is hence formed with the Seven Deadly Sins. Kevin
Spacey is John Doe, the serial killer who kills
as means of wanting pardon for the world’s
ignorance and silent acceptance of the Seven Deadly
Sins namely Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Lust, Pride,
Envy and Wrath (Schieb, 1995).
Doe is the narrator throughout and his disquieting
sermons to Sommerset and Mills truly engulf the
viewer in an air of fear and dread. This thriller
is an intense one, with a strong dystopic theme,
a theme signifying the converse of utopia, and
a world where undesirable events are depicted
in nightmarishly extreme occurrences (Dystopia:
Definition). The worst-case scenario is shown
in the actions of a deranged serial killer. In
the following paragraphs, we will examine and
analyze the important issues the movie raises.
Outline:
The film tries to visualize the basic concepts of dystopia in a brilliant manner. It shows how the characters are at odds with their environment and with each other: Morgan Freeman’s character makes a moving speech about how “it's easier to lose yourself in drugs than it is to cope with life. It's easier to steal what you want than it is to earn it. It's easier to beat a child than it is to raise it.” The characters all struggle to maintain their identity and sense of self. For example, Gwyneth Paltrow’s character, Tracy Mills, is extremely scared and especially vulnerable for she is pregnant and fears the raising of a child in “this city”, with its horrific conditions. Disintegration of self is portrayed through both Pitt’s and Freeman’s character where the former’s naïve enthusiasm is shown against the backdrop of the latter’s inner chaos – he lives a life of order but everyday he sees turbulence and utter pandemonium in the outside world (Schieb, 1995).
The world is no longer a rational place, as is
the trademark of dystopia. As Freeman’s
character says in the movie: even though he didn’t
think he could “continue to live in a place
that embraces and nurtures apathy as if it was
virtue”, he sympathized as apathy had become
the only solution (Memorable Quotes from Se7en).
The world as shown in Se7en is truly in the throes
of an urban nightmare where the killer, John Doe,
kills because he wants to draw attention to sin.
The social and cultural scenario is also disturbing
as once when Freeman visits a library, he is unhappy
to see the security guards sitting bored and playing
cards, while the world’s knowledge gathers
dust around them. This movie is a shockingly realistic
portrayal of all that is associated with dystopia:
an undesirable society where evil triumphs over
all that is good, where corruption and chaos are
rampant and where a serial killer defends his
gory murders with the premise that he wants to
make the world a better place by murdering to
draw attention to the fact that sin had in fact
become trivial and common (Schieb, 1995).
Analysis:
The movie has a truly unique look which matches its dystopic theme at every point. The screen is consumed almost entirely by rain-washed monochromes. There are no vibrant hues, rather the grey colors of rain, the deep browns of apartment exteriors and faces photographed with a brown tint. The all-pervasive gloom and evil undertones are largely aided by the visual aesthetics, such as the filming of almost all the scenes in semi-darkness. Rain is an ever-present aspect of the movie, and the dark, rainy sequences do provide an impression of disruption and disarray. The theme of dystopia can be sensed even more so because of the movie’s setting in America, and New York which is seen as the City of Hope. One of the lead roles, that of Brad Pitt, is full of passion and naïve idealism, but he is impatient and in comparison to Freeman’s character, not willing to slowly analyze and then try to solve the mystery of John Doe’s motives (Schieb, 1995).
Rationality and intelligibility are never synonymous with dystopia. In the following dialogue, John Doe rationalizes his actions: “We see a deadly sin on every street corner, in every home, and we tolerate it. We tolerate it because it's common, it’s trivial. We tolerate it morning, noon, and night. Well, not anymore. I'm setting the example. And what I've done is going to be puzzled over, and studied, and followed... forever” (Se7en: Andrew Karen Walker). He felt like he had to go to such horrific lengths only because “wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore”, and that in order to gain their attention, one had to “hit them with a sledgehammer” (Memorable Quotes from Se7en).
A truly alarming aspect of the film’s plot is how in the end, evil does emerge victorious. Though the detectives do manage to get the killer, he is still the controlling party and claims that he is within their catch only because he himself wants to be there. He realizes that only five of the seven sins have been covered by him so far through his gory murders, so he seals Pitt’s character’s fate by making him a victim of wrath, while he himself admits to having submitted to envy. This is the surprise ending of a remarkable portrayal of dystopia: a serial killer manipulates the detectives, submits to them by his own will, justifies his horrendous crimes as a means of drawing attention to sin, and even in his submission remains true to his purpose (Schieb, 1995). |