Seven Pounds
By Derek Plott
P.5
Seven Pounds is a fantastic movie that
is full of symbolism and duality. It is an incredibly deep, emotional film, and
the cinematography goes along with the mood perfectly. There is so much more to
it than what’s seen from an entertainment perspective. Everything in the movie
is representative of the diegesis from lighting to focus to costumes. Upon
analyzing the film it can be determined that every bit of the cinematography is
full of symbolism, duality, and metaphors. Everything aligns visually to go
along with the plot line. Ben Thomas is haunted by the fact that he took seven
lives in a car crash, including that of his fiancé, and he gives his own life
to make up for that incident. The main focus of the movie is redemption, and
the delicate balance of life and death. Seven
Pounds is about Ben resetting the balance of life and death by giving up
everything, and the artistry of the film shows the duality of many things: life,
visual symbolism, as well as the metaphorical meaning of Ben's final acts.
The concept
of duality is shown in almost every single aspect and scene in Seven Pounds. The jellyfish Ben keeps as
a pet is a prevalent example of this. The jellyfish is a beautiful creature,
the most beautiful in the world according to Ben, but it is also deadly. When Ben
has given away everything he has except his heart and eyes he chooses to commit
suicide using the jellyfish. In a bathtub filled with water and ice the tentacles
of the jellyfish wrap around Bens’ arm, and intertwine with it shown in a close
up shot with dim lighting, and dark colors (Seven
Pounds). Bens’ life comes to an end by the hands of his only true
companion. The dim lighting, and dark colors represent his life coming to an
end, and fading away. The tentacles intertwined with his arm show how both
lives are intertwined after the crash. Ben knows how he will end his life, and
that was the purpose of the jellyfish. Since the crash, both beings floated
through life, going through the motions, but never truly living. The jellyfish
only ate, and Ben only arranged who would get his organs so both have a
singular purpose in living. Another representation of duality in Seven Pounds is Bens’ house. It is a
place he lives in, but it also represents his soul. The house is beautiful from
the outside, just like Ben is handsome, and charming. On the inside it is lifeless,
just like his soul. When Ben is moving out you can get a good idea of the
representation of this. A shot with a shallow depth of field, focusing on a
somber looking Ben who is sitting on his couch surrounded by packed cardboard
boxes in dim lighting (Seven Pounds).
This shot shows Ben giving up the last thing he has from life before the crash.
Moving out of the house he shared with his fiancé forces him to leave behind
all the memories he has there, and lose his soul. The somber look on his face
shows the remorse he has, and the hard act of letting go of the last worldly possession
that made him who he was before the crash besides the jellyfish which
represents his life. The packed boxes are his memories being stashed away, and
the dim lighting adds to the dark mood. The shallow depth of focus with objects
blurred in front of the camera cutting out the bottom part of the shot produce
a feeling that this is a private moment and the viewer is unwanted yet still
observing. Duality in Seven Pounds is
also represented by water. Water is essential for life, but it can also bring
about death. In the beginning of the film Ben is swimming in the ocean back towards
his house in Malibu. A long shot from the reverse god’s eye perspective shows
Ben swimming through the ocean with light flooding down around him from the sun
into the water; a light blue color surrounds the dark shape of Ben (Seven Pounds). The water represents his memories that are always around him
constantly reminding him of his old life. He is swimming in the ocean just like these
memories are swimming around in his head. Blue is often used to portray a
feeling of sadness, and the blue represents the grief inside of him. It is
brightly shaded because many of the memories he had were good which only hurts
him more. The lighting from above symbolizes
the life he still has, and the fact that he’s dark shows that he is already
dead inside. The camera having a reverse god’s eye angle shows that instead of
being god looking down on him it is the devil looking up. This is
representative of the fact that the balance of life and death is in the
negative for him, but when Ben is dying the god’s eye is reversed, and looking
down on him because he reset the balance. The ocean is a serine place for him,
and when he is there he reflects on the fond memories he has, yet it is a
creature from the ocean that brings about his death. Duality is a huge concept
in Seven Pounds, and it adds a lot of
meaning to the film. In addition to duality, there are many examples of visual
symbolism that evoke emotion from the viewer.
Visual symbolism
is everywhere in Seven Pounds. The sets,
shots, costumes, directing, and editing all work together perfectly to show parallels,
flush out characters, and set moods. These things make the viewer connect more
to the film, and make it seem more real. A great example of this is the parallel
between Ben’s suicide, and the car crash. In the car crash, Ben’s fiancé is wearing
a dark purple dress, there was shattered glass, and crushed metal, and seven
people died. When Ben commits suicide it looks very similar. God’s eye view,
medium shot, Ben is in the bathtub wearing a pink shirt turned purple by the
water with a look of agony on his face; the shower curtain is pulled down and
crushed on top of him, ice cubes are on the bath tub rim and floor, and the
lighting is dim with everything shaded blue (Seven Pounds). In this shot Bens shirt has turned the same color as
his fiancés dress, he is in agony just like at the crash, the ice cubes look
like shattered glass, the curtain looks similar to crushed metal, and the bath
tub is shaped like a coffin. Everything in the scene looks very similar to the
crash, and the bath tub looking like a coffin shows that he is soon to join the
others that died. The blue tint is darker on the walls at the top of the frame,
and lighter on the walls symbolizing that he is finally going to be rid of his sadness
and pass on. The reason everything in the suicide scene parallels the car crash
is because it shows that Ben really died in the car crash, but his body kept on
living. The god’s eye view is representative of Bens’ life ending and his
accent to heaven, as well as contrasting the reverse god’s eye in the beginning
symbolizing that he has reset the scales of life and death, and redeemed
himself. On top of setting parallels the film also does a great job of visually
flushing out characters, and showing contrast between them. Ben and Emily are
both portrayed very differently, and the scenes are designed to establish who
they are and create contrast between them. When Ben comes to Emily’s house as
an IRS agent, and they go inside after walking the dog the shot shows the
contrast very well. The shot is in deep focus with Ben dressed in black and
grey at the bottom right corner closer to the camera, and seated at a table
with light illuminating half of his face while Emily is standing dressed in
bright pink garbing a cup from a cupboard farther back and to the left while
fully lit by the light (Seven Pounds).
This shot is in Emily’s kitchen where everything is brightly colored and well
lit. She is in a bright pink shirt, and generally smiling throughout the scene.
This is all meant to show that she is full of life and happiness. Ben on the
other hand is dressed in dark grey and black with a shadow on half of his face.
This represents the darkness inside of him, and the half of his face that is
towards Emily is well lit as it is portraying the face he is putting on for
her; one of happiness and charm. This character coloring is the same in almost
every scene. Ben is darkly colored, and Emily is always bright, same with their
surroundings. Another example of symbolism is when Ben finds out what type of
man Stewart Goodman is. Initially Ben wants to give Stewart the bone marrow he
needs to survive, and he goes to the nursing home to see what kind of man he
is. Ben only gives his gifts to people he finds to be genuinely good at heart,
and finds that Stewart isn’t one. Ben talks to Inez, and she tells him that
Stewart is punishing her for not taking her pills by not letting her bathe. Ben
gets angry, and takes it out on Stewart. Medium close up shot in shallow focus,
Ben is dressed in a grey suit with a black tie, a look of anger on his face,
and light shining on the top of his hair, his hand is around Stewarts throat and
he is shoving his head into glass which breaks; Stewart is dressed in a grey
suit with a red tie, and he’s mouth is open from pain (Seven Pounds). The shattered glass symbolizes Stewarts shattered
hopes as Ben will no longer give him bone marrow or a tax extension. Stewarts
red tie shows the malice and greed he possesses. The medium close up shot with
the shallow focus puts all the attention on them and what’s going on. Though
Ben is in dark colors showing his grief, he is also poorly lit to intensify the
feeling of anger and betrayal. The light shining in his hair creates a halo
effect as he is essentially playing the guardian angel for Inez by bringing her
to the bath and punishing her tormentor. This interaction also has a sense of
irony. Stewart’s last name is Goodman, and Ben is looking for a good man to
donate to, but in reality Stewart is far from being a good man. Seven Pounds is full of symbolism in
every scene, and the crew did an amazing job of everything from the sets to the
lighting to the costumes, and everything else in the scenes to bring out more
emotion from the viewer, and make every little thing have meaning. Not only was
the cinematography brilliant and symbolic, but so was the writing, and the
symbolism behind each of Bens’ gifts.
Ben took
seven lives in the car crash, and to reset the balance of life and death he
gives life to seven people. Every gift Ben gives has symbolic meaning behind it
besides resetting the scale of mortality. Lungs are necessary to life. They
bring in and filter oxygen from air, and breathe out CO2. Everyone has a pair
of lungs that keep their life going. Ben gives one of his lungs to his brother
who had lung cancer and would’ve died without the transplant. Ben’s only
brother was with him throughout his whole life, enriching it just like blood is
enriched by the oxygen from the lungs. Ben gives one lung to his brother; his
lung is removed from its partner in Ben, so that Bens partner in life, his
brother, may live. Ben donates bone marrow to a young boy named Nicholas who
has bone cancer. The bones are the foundation to the body, providing it
structure and support. Nicholas is a little kid who is dying, and without the
transplant will not get to live a full life. The bone marrow Ben donates to him
symbolically gives him a new foundation to live a complete life, just like
bones are the foundation of the body. Ben donates one of his kidneys to a
hockey coach for underprivileged kids named George Ristuccia. The kidneys
filter out waste from the blood, and produces important hormones used to
stimulate red blood cell production, regulate blood pressure, and maintain calcium
levels in bones. George does all of these things on a metaphorical level for
the kids he coaches. He gets them of the streets in the bad neighborhoods they
live in and onto the ice, essentially filtering them out of the waste of the
area. He gives them something to live as decent human beings for, and focus on symbolically
producing red blood cells, and putting calcium in bones. He gives them a
meaning to live, like red blood cells give life, and a foundation to build from
and fall back on like bones give structure, and stability to the body. He also
helps them keep a level head like the kidneys regulate blood pressure. When Ben
is watching a hockey practice some of the kids get in a fight, and George
breaks them up, and calms them down with a moving speech telling them to keep
their heads on their shoulders and don’t let things get to them. One of the final
things Ben gives, and does so with his death, is his eyes to Ezra, a blind,
vegan, meat salesman. Ezra lives a simple life, and doesn’t ask for anything,
he just tries his best to be a decent human being. He always sees the good in
other people, even though he can’t actually “see” anything. A scene that exemplifies
this is when he is in the café eating pie, and drinking coffee. Ben has been
following him that afternoon, yet Ezra doesn’t know it. In the café Ezra is
been talking to a waitress offering her son free piano lessons, but she brushes
him off. A medium shot with dim
lighting, Ezra is seated at a table dressed in a pink dress shirt with a brown
jacket looking at the waitress who is holding a coffee thermos standing to the
right of the screen talking with Ezra, but not looking at him; she is dressed
in a pink and white uniform with the back of her body cut off by a pillar, and
her elbow sticking out behind it; the lighting is more full and colorful behind
the pillar (Seven Pounds). Ezra is
seated, and the waitress is standing symbolizing the fact that she thinks she’s
above him. Ezra’s clothing portrays him to be open, and the pink shirt shows
caring, but the brown jacket shows his plainness. The white of the waitress’s
garb shows her to be pure and angelic as Ezra sees her. There are shadows on
the waitress’s face showing her pity for him, and shame of being associated with
him. Ezra’s face is well lit showing optimism. The black background behind Ezra
symbolizes his blindness, and loneliness, while the brighter scene behind the
waitress shows the eventful life she has and what she is looking forward to
away from Ezra. Though most of the space between them is dark, there is a light
hanging from the ceiling in-between and behind them by the waitress’s head
showing hope that if Ezra can be perceived to be on her level things could work
out between them. After the waitress
leaves Ben goes up to talk to Ezra. Ben asks him if he is going to ask the
waitress out, Ezra looks abashed, and replies “I don’t think she sees me.”(Ezra, Seven Pounds). This quote and the
entire café scene show that Ezra sees other people and is always good to them,
but they don’t notice. Though Ezra is blind, he is the one who isn’t seen. This
is why Ben gives him his eyes, so that he can see, and more importantly be seen
by others. The only gift Ben gives that isn’t an organ is his house. Ben finds
who he wants to give his house to through a woman called Holly. Holly is a child
services worker whom Ben had previously given part of his liver to. The liver
has many functions such as bile production for digestion, blood detoxification,
nutrient storage, immune system health, and metabolism. Holly metaphorically
does all of these things with the parents, and children she works with. Bile
production by helping them get out of bad situations, blood detoxification by helping
getting rid of bad influences, nutrient storage by giving them when they need
it, immune system health by helping them stay on the right track, and
metabolism by making sure they keep moving forward. Ben gives Holly part of his
liver, which she symbolizes, and she helps him find Connie Tepos, who will receive
his house. Connie is a mother of two who lives with an abusive boyfriend in a rundown
neighborhood. Ben contacts her, and tells her he can help, but she pushes him
away. Later, after yet another beating, Connie calls Ben, and tells him she
wants his help. He obliges, and gives her the house. The house represents Ben’s
soul, and he gives it to a woman who has two children, and lives in an abusive
home. Her soul is crushed, and he symbolically gives her his own to help
restore it. “I’ve always believed this place can heal the soul. I hope that
proves true for you.” (Ben, Seven Pounds).
Ben says this to Connie when he gives her the house. The audio is played as
Connie and her kids arrive at the house, and enter it. The 7th and last
gift Ben gives to reset the balance of life and death is his heart. He gives
his heart, both literally and metaphorically, to Emily. At the time of his
suicide Ben is in love with Emily, yet she has a failing heart, and won’t live
long without a transplant. When Ben comes over to Emily’s for dinner they have
an amazing time, and end up making love. Immediately after the scene where they
are in bed together, it cuts outside. A medium long shot focusing on the empty
table where they had dinner; they table is still set, and it is raining with
dim lighting everywhere except the table which is well lit, and inside the
house (Seven Pounds). This scene represents
the memories they made tonight, and the ones that will never come to be. The
table is well lit as the memory is fresh, but it is raining to symbolize the sadness
to come. The glasses and the candle make a heart shape in the table, though it
is hard to see. The candle is still burning, showing that they are both still
alive, but the rain will soon snuff it out as the fire of life inside Ben will
soon be snuffed out because of his grief. Ben gives his heart to the woman he
loves, so that she can live, but as the shot shows, they will never make the
memories together that they want to. Ben gives seven gifts to repay for the seven
lives he took, and each recipient metaphorically represents the gift that they received.
Seven
Pounds is an incredibly
symbolic movie. It has duality, visual symbolism, and metaphorical meaning
engrained in almost every scene. The artistry in the movie is phenomenal and
every little thing in it has meaning. The duality of the jellyfish, the house,
and water all add a dimension to the film that makes it more moving. The
symbolism of all of the colors, costumes, sets, and actions set the mood perfectly
and add more depth to the storyline. Even the gifts Ben gives metaphorically
represent the recipients. The film Seven
Pounds is beautifully done and subconsciously triggers all sorts of
emotions and connections in the viewer. Seven
Pounds is a fantastic example of wonderful cinematography and has a moving
storyline that is supported by all elements of the picture.
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