Well I LOVED it! (Seven Pounds (DVD))

Member Name: melcat25

Product:	Seven Pounds (DVD)
Date:	19/01/09 (155 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A wonderful, emotional and poweful film.

Disadvantages: It won't be to everybody's taste.

It has been a long time since I came away from a film speechless. In fact, I don't know if I ever have. But I did on Saturday night. I couldn't speak for most of the car journey home. There is something eerily moving about this film. The way it pulls you in, slowly unfolds and then leaves you breathless and amazed. I wouldn't say it isn't predictable by the end. I would say it is original. I beg anyone who has read the negative reviews on this site to go and see this film if you can - it is beautiful.

I understand that this is my personal opinion and quite obviously it is not shared by everyone. It depends on what kind of film you like and if I dare say it, how cynical you are. If you like action packed fast paced movies with 'witty' one-liners, gorgeous girls and happy endings then, you most certainly will not like this. If you like silly slap stick comedies, crude jokes and bottom laughs, you will not like this. And, if you pick through everything you view with a fine tooth comb, look for the worst, watch films with expectations they will never meet, you will not like this. If, however, you enjoy the slow burn, if you are willing to go along with the ride, if you have more faith and curiosity than you do cynicism, you will fall in love with this film - as I did.

I probably don't need to tell you that 'Seven Pounds' stars Will Smith. It is about the only thing that is revealed in the trailer. The only notable actors playing alongside him are Woody Harrelson and Rosario Dawson. The film is directed by Gabriele Muccino, the man behind 'In the Pursuit of Happiness'. I would suggest that if you have seen this, then you use your opinion of it to judge whether or not you would enjoy 'Seven Pounds'. Whilst plot and characters are very different, both present slow-moving personal journeys. If you were bored by 'In the Pursuit of Happiness', you are likely to fall asleep during 'Seven Pounds'.

The story begins with Will Smith's character, calling the emergency services. He is reporting his own suicide. We are then moved back to a very much alive Will Smith, calling Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson playing a call centre worker), and being inexplicability rude and scathing. Next he is following heart patient Emily (Dawson) and inspecting the taxes of old folks care home. We learn that character we are to follow is Ben Thomas, an IRS agent whose intentions are to help those he can, but who appears to go about this an extremely confusing way. In between scenes, we see Ben, happy with his partner and experiencing flashbacks of a horrific accident.
These first few scenes are difficult watching. You must give the film your full attention. The timeline for the film is at first, not clear. Some may find this uncertainty of the beginning a turn off. Personally, I found it intriguing and then somehow reassuring. This is a slow film, but it is beautifully shot, with a superb script and enough human emotion and intensity poured into each scene that I became addicted from the start. It is no secret that Ben has set out to help seven people change their lives, because he was the only survivor of a crash that killed seven. The mystery is how and why and what will happen next. It is impossible to say anymore. Just as Sony kept this secret, so must the reviews. It would most certainly, spoil your viewing.
I have to say, that as the film comes to it's end, there isn't one mass revelation. The story unpicks itself gradually. More and more becomes clear, and as it does, the ending is less shocking than it could have been. But this suits the film, before you have had time to realise, all has become clear, slowly and beautifully. I have read comments on other sites from viewers who did not see the point of this, of hiding the intentions of Ben from the audience. I think however, it is intended to put us in the position of all the other characters in the film. Emily, Ezra, the man at the motel, even Ben's brother - they all find him an enigma. Thus we empathise with each of their personal relationships with Ben. The mystery that intrigues Emily, the confusion of Ezra, the anger of the motel owner and the frustration of his brother.
It is for this reason that I found it so easy to understand why Emily falls in love with Ben as she does. Her opinion of him is not tainted by a past she does not know about. She only sees the kind and caring Ben, the one that we see when he is with her. The love story of the film is the part that has endeared it to me the most. Whilst many criticise Will's acting, for me, he is perfect. The subtlety of his emotions are very real. Ben becomes bewitched by Emily's positive outlook and inner beauty, against his own wishes, mixed with the guilt of falling in love for the first time since loosing his partner. These are difficult emotions to portray. Dawson is fantastic. She is warm and very likeable (often difficult for a female love interest). Her portrayal of woman who has quickly fallen in love, so happy because of it, daring to smile and push her beau and yet tentative and nervous - it is wonderful to watch. Unlike any other film, the scenes between these two brought to life the awkwardness and excitement of falling in love. All I could think about was my own partner, how we met, how we fell in love. I cannot remember a film making me feel like this before. Of course, this experience is different for everyone but this portrayal of new found love is what really makes the film, in my eyes, unforgettable.
Without giving away the ending, there really is little more to say. Many have commented that 'Seven Pounds' is flawed because Smith plays a man ridden with and only acting out of guilt, portrayed as a hero, I say this: The film actually makes no judgement as to whether or not he is a hero - it simply depicts the actions of a desperate and yes, guilty, man. We can make our own opinion of him. Yes the characters in the film see him as a hero - but wouldn't you if you were them? Also, he nearly changes his mind and it is arguable that his final acts are as much the consequence of love as they are guilt.

To finish, I say whilst there are many critics, there are many romantics out there, only to willing to be swept up in the ride of this powerful and emotional offering. Go and see this film and make up your own mind. But remember to take some tissues.

Summary: It left me speechless.